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According to the FBI, the most frequent reports of internet fraud were received from relatively young nationals between the ages of 30 to 40 years. Yet, the biggest damages from this kind of crimes were incurred by senior persons.
People over 60 in particular were more likely to fall victim to scammers posing as representatives of the government or of businesses offering them all kinds of confidential information, including credit card information. The report states that seniors lost $724 million as a result of these scams, accounting for more than two-thirds of all losses brought on by this kind of crime.
The use of ransomware viruses which block computers until the victim pays a ransom brought criminals at least $34 million. The amount may seem low compared to other Internet crimes, but FBI experts say that could be because many victims of this kind of crime choose to pay the criminals in cash rather than contact authorities immediately.
Despite the fact that incidents of hackers using ransomware viruses are more likely to reach front-page news, experts claim that criminals steal much more money through BEC attacks. A BEC attack is when a victim's business email is compromised, actions that are harmful to the victim's or his company's interests can be carried out.
source: cnn.com
People over 60 in particular were more likely to fall victim to scammers posing as representatives of the government or of businesses offering them all kinds of confidential information, including credit card information. The report states that seniors lost $724 million as a result of these scams, accounting for more than two-thirds of all losses brought on by this kind of crime.
The use of ransomware viruses which block computers until the victim pays a ransom brought criminals at least $34 million. The amount may seem low compared to other Internet crimes, but FBI experts say that could be because many victims of this kind of crime choose to pay the criminals in cash rather than contact authorities immediately.
Despite the fact that incidents of hackers using ransomware viruses are more likely to reach front-page news, experts claim that criminals steal much more money through BEC attacks. A BEC attack is when a victim's business email is compromised, actions that are harmful to the victim's or his company's interests can be carried out.
source: cnn.com