10 key numbers from the 2024 FBI IC3 report

It looks like 2024 was a record year in cybercrime for all the wrong reasons, according to the FBI’s annual Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report released Wednesday. 

As cyber-enabled fraud and ransomware continue to harm individuals, businesses, and critical infrastructure, the report, now in its 25th year, provides crucial insight into evolving criminal tactics and their nationwide impact. The report is overflowing with key trends, case data, and other statistics from the FBI’s ongoing efforts to combat the cyberthreat landscape.

We pulled out 10 key numbers that show the volume, scope and impact of last year’s crimes. 

$16.6 Billion

In 2024, the FBI recorded a new high for reported losses, reaching an astounding $16.6 billion. The center received 859,532 complaints — a 33 % increase from 2023 — with each complaint averaging a reported loss of $19,372. Over the past five years, IC3 has averaged 836,000 complaints annually, surpassing a total of 9 million complaints since its inception in 2000, and now regularly handles more than 2,000 complaints every day, a dramatic rise from the 2,000 complaints per month it received in its early years.

83%

Cyber-enabled fraud accounted for nearly 83% of all losses reported to IC3 in 2024, with 333,981 complaints and a staggering $13.7 billion in losses. Investment fraud led in total dollars lost at $6.57 billion, followed by Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams at $2.77 billion and tech support fraud at $1.46 billion. Fraud constituted the majority of losses last year, as criminals increasingly turned to cryptocurrency as a tool to defraud investors, launder illicit proceeds, and facilitate a range of other schemes.

60

People over the age of 60 suffered the most financial losses and submitted the highest number of complaints in 2024. This age group filed 147,127 complaints, representing a 46% increase in complaints and a 43% increase in losses from 2023, with total losses reaching $4.885 billion. Notably, 7,500 complainants aged 60 or older lost more than $100,000 each, with an average loss of $83,000.

215

In 2024, more than 215 arrests were made through 11 joint operations between the FBI, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation, and other local law enforcement agencies — a 700% increase from the previous year — in response to widespread Tech/Customer Support and Government Impersonation scams reported to the IC3. This international collaboration, which began in 2022, involved numerous raids, disruptions, and the sharing of over 60 actionable leads as well as active support for investigations and prosecutions of fraudulent call centers.

211,163

The number of complaints from the top three states on the list — California, Texas, and Florida. These states led the list for both the number of internet crime complaints and total financial losses in 2024, with California leading the nation at 96,265 complaints and $2.54 billion in reported losses. These three states also saw the greatest financial losses among individuals aged 60 and older, with California seniors losing $832 million, Texas $489 million, and Florida $388 million.

67 

In 2024, IC3 identified 67 new ransomware variants, with FOG, Lynx, Cicada 3301, Dragonforce, and Frag among the most frequently reported. Ransomware complaints rose by 9% compared to 2023, with the top five ransomware variants reported as Akira, LockBit, RansomHub, FOG, and PLAY. LockBit may not make the list in 2025, given the actions the FBI has taken against the group. 

10,956

Cryptocurrency ATMs and kiosks played a growing role in fraud schemes in 2024, with 10,956 complaints and $246.7 million in losses — representing a 99% increase in complaints from the previous year. Overall, cryptocurrency was involved in $9.32 billion of reported losses, including $5.8 billion from cryptocurrency investment fraud alone, which generated 41,557 complaints — a 29% rise in cases and a 47% jump in losses from 2023. 

59%

Sextortion and other forms of extortion experienced a notable surge in 2024, resulting in 54,936 complaints and $33.5 million in losses — a 59% increase in complaints from the previous year. Other significant scams included emergency scams targeting seniors, such as grandparent scams, which resulted in 357 complaints and $2.7 million in losses; gold courier scams, which involved 525 complaints and $219 million in losses; and toll scams — including smishing scams about unpaid road tolls — that accounted for 59,271 complaints and $129,624 in losses.

4,800 

In 2024, more than 4,800 organizations that are deemed critical infrastructure reported being affected by cyber threats to the IC3. The most common problems these organizations faced were data breaches and ransomware attacks.

$800 million 

The FBI took proactive steps to prevent financial losses from cybercrime by working closely with the private sector and launching initiatives such as Operation Level Up. Since 2022, the FBI has provided thousands of decryption keys to ransomware victims, helping them recover their data and avoid more than $800 million in ransom payments.

You can read the full report on the FBI’s website.