Low-tech frauds spiked in 2018, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3), netting millions for scammers.
Last year, electronic extortion complaints rose 242% to 51,146 reported crimes, with total losses of $83 million.
While the FBI does not break out sextortion from the total number of extortion crimes reported, a spokesperson told CNBC, “The majority of extortion complaints received in 2018 were part of a sextortion campaign in which victims received an email threatening to send a pornographic video of them or other compromising information to family, friends, coworkers, or social network contacts if a ransom was not paid.”
