FBI warning Georgians of 'staggering' rise in cybercrimes and scams

ATLANTA - The FBI is warning Georgians about a serious spike in cybercrimes and fraud targeting residents of the Peach State.

New data from the law enforcement agency shows that Georgians lost hundreds of millions of dollars because of cybercriminals last year - a dramatic increase from 2023.

By the numbers:

The FBI's annual Internet Crime Report shows that the agency received more than 850,000 complaints in 2024, topping more than $16.6 billion in losses across the country.

Here in Georgia, there were more than $420 million in potential losses reported - a 40% increase from the year before.

Authorities say that internet-related complaints and crimes continue to "increase significantly" across the state, and they're warning residents to be careful with who you trust online.

"The numbers are staggering in terms of the losses, and we see that from a personal perspective. When I see a victim come in, those aren't just numbers in a report, those are real people," FBI Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Seres said.

Dig deeper:

The top three cybercrimes reported in 2024 were phishing/spoofing, extortion, and personal data breaches, but the agency says the biggest losses by far came from cryptocurrency losses.

Reports of cryptocurrency-related crimes more than doubled from 2023 to 2024, with more than 3500 cases reported last year. The estimated losses increased by 66% to more than $197 million.

"It's really a confidence scheme at the end of the day. So it's a relationship you form online. People are lonely. They want a relationship, which is great, but they're getting defrauded into a relationship with someone who's not real," Seres said. "And then they offer an opportunity to get involved in a cryptocurrency investment - which those are fake, they're offline, they're overseas - and then the problem with that crime is that once the money is sent with cryptocurrency, it's very hard to recover,"

The biggest target for the crimes are elderly people; losses reported by seniors in Georgia jumped 89% to more than $174 million.

"People are losing the entirety of their life savings because they feel comfortable. They think they're investing with a friend, and they're not," Seres said.

What they're saying:

"While the top threats facing Georgia and the nation from cyber criminals and fraudsters continue to evolve, their main goal remains stealing your hard-earned money," said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. "The cornerstone of the FBI’s mission remains to protect American citizens. The men and women of FBI Atlanta will not stop working to prevent losses and minimize the harm to Georgia residents."

What you can do:

The FBI says the best way you can protect yourself is by making sure that you know who you're talking to and avoid possible malicious links.

Don't click on anything in unsolicited emails or text messages and try to avoid sharing information online that could give scammers what they need to access your accounts.

Do not send payments to unknown people or organizations that are looking for money and are urging you to do something immediately.

The agency also recommends keeping your system up to date and installing a strong anti-virus program as well as creating strong passwords for your online accounts.

If you do think you're a victim of a cybercrime, file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center as soon as possible.