CINCINNATI — The rate of thieves ripping people off through cell phone, email and computer schemes is rising in southern Ohio, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations Cincinnati Field Office Special Agent in Charge.
The office's Cyber Squad saw networks of crime steal more than $133 million from Ohioans in 2022. Cell phones with lax security fueled some of it. However, the biggest chunk — $80 million — came from hackers attacking business emails, according to authorities.
The hackers target people involved in organizational wire transfers and then study moves for months or years before stealing. In southern Ohio, one insurer lost $2.5 million in one move last year. The company involved reported the crime fast enough for the FBI and international partners to arrest a Nigerian who is in jail overseas.
Too often, though, Special Agent in Charge Will Rivers said the team never gets a tip.
"There's always some element of fear or embarrassment sometimes with people reporting crime, in general," he said. "I think that's a real possibility certainly on the corporate side (for) business, non-profit, other groups and entities."
It is why the bureau called for attention to its Internet Crime Complaint Center or IC3 website. They encourage victims to report any and every attack. It could help agents identify suspects and scams faster, Rivers said.
Increasingly, schools and health care groups see more sophisticated ransomware attacks where thieves threaten to release or sell embarrassing data in order to convince victims to pay, authorities said. It is a business ripping off tens of millions of dollars and the rate of attacks is rising.
"As we educate, I think we also receive more tips," Rivers said. "So to me, that is an improvement in itself that we are getting the message out there."
With more than 17,000 complaints filed, many involving schemes launched overseas, Rivers' cyber squad hardly responds to everyone who submits tips. However, they insist each gets vetted and is key to how agents fight back.
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