Foreign criminals are infiltrating the internet to prey on victims to try and steal their money.
Online scams are a billion-dollar industry that continues to grow, according to the FBI.
Recently, the News 3 Investigative Team reported that strangers online were threatening to kill a Tallwood High School student after they gave him $600 to use his pictures online. His family said he was the victim of a scam.
Several months ago, the News 3 Investigative Team reported problems with people pretending to be landlords in an effort to steal money.
We have also done stories about people falling victim to romance schemes.
The News 3 Investigative Team sat down with Scott Zmudzinski, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the Norfolk Office, to talk about online scams.
He said the following about romance schemes: “They prey on the vulnerabilities of needing compassion, love, relationships, and scammers will stop at nothing to exploit the human soul."
In many cases, the criminals are overseas using the internet to get into the homes of the American people.
“Individuals overseas will stop basically at nothing to find a way that they can identify the most susceptible population and take the opportunity to victimize,” said Zmudzinski.
Below is information from the FBI:
VIRGINIA 2023
Tech support scams: 1,199 reports, $29 million lost
Romance scams: 452 reports, $14 million lost
Business email compromise: 599 reports, $161 million lost
“These are basically groups of people that are conducting criminal operations illegally that run like a business. They have employees, buildings, infrastructure, computers, and networks,” said Zmudzinski.
He said the transnational criminal organizational groups operate out of countries all over the world. He said, “It’s a full-time job for them. As long as Americans have money, they will find ways to get it from them.”
The FBI says people need to talk to their elderly parents and their kids, and as a community, we need to educate ourselves on the scams.
The FBI added that even if there is no financial loss, it's vital to report crimes to the IC3 website so they can track trends.
Brianna Lanham contributed to this story.
