Cybercrime is becoming increasingly prevalent and consequential, commensurate with greater use of technology in society. However, reports of cybercrime trends over recent years are limited in scope, leaving knowledge of larger-scale trends unclear. Further, examinations of cybercrime trends often fail to consider contemporary taxonomies and typologies identified in the relevant literature. Using data from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) from 2015 through 2023, the current study conducted a national-level trend analysis of cybercrime complaints and financial losses. Trends of overall cybercrime, taxonomic cybercrime (i.e., cyber-enabled vs. cyber-dependent), and cybercrime typologies (e.g., economic, psychosocial, and geopolitical) were examined. The findings suggested cyber-enabled crime experienced significant growth in 2020, potentially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while cyber-dependent crime remained stable and less prevalent. Further, losses from cyber-dependent crime far outpaced losses from cyber-enabled crime, suggesting the importance of criminal justice interventions against these forms of crime. Furthermore, the findings highlight socioeconomic cybercrime as consistently more prevalent than psychosocial and geopolitical cybercrime both in terms of number of complaints and financial losses. Overall, the results illustrate the importance of consistent cybercrime tracking at the state- and national-levels as well as the clear need for far-reaching preventative and responsive efforts.
Engle, T. A., Maher, C. A., & Jones, M. (2024) Afarid of the Unkown: Crypto Literacy and Fear of Online Fraud. Journal of Economic Criminology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconc.2025.100135
Maher, C. A., Corsello, R. M., Engle, T. A., Kuhlman, J. D., & Nedelec, J. L., (2024) Correlates of victim services for fraud and identity theft among victim service providers. Journal of Criminal Justice. (95), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102318
Maher, C. A., & Engle, T. A. (2024) Knowing is half the battle: Examining the association between acknowledgement of victimization and reporting of fraud. Journal of Economic Criminology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconc.2024.100092
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