Report says online crime surging in recession

The Internet Fraud Complaint Center, run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center, reports that fraud on the Internet reported to US authorities increased by 33 percent last year, rising for the first time in three years, and is surging this year as the recession deepens. Internet fraud losses reported in the United States reached a record high $264.6 million in 2008. Online scams originating from across the globe -- mostly from the United States, Canada, Britain, Nigeria and China -- are gathering steam this year with a nearly 50 percent increase in complaints reported to U.S. authorities in March alone.