Cold, hard truth: Alaskans lose $26M to Internet crime
May 13 (UPI) -- Alaskans lost more than $26 million last year to Internet crime through investment fraud, business email compromise and tech support scams, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center released its 2024 Internet Crime Report last month. On Tuesday, FBI Anchorage reported Alaskans filed 6,770 complaints about losses totaling $26.2 million, which is down 17% from 2023, when Alaskans lost $31.7 million. Over the last decade, Alaskans have reported online losses of more than $118 million.
More than $11.7 million, or 45%, of last year's losses were cryptocurrency-related.
"Last year alone, Alaskans reported over $26 million in financial losses due to online frauds and scams, many of which involved cryptocurrency transactions," said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office.
"This isn't just stolen money -- it's the stolen savings and retirement funds of hardworking Americans, siphoned from our local economy," Day added.
The Internet crimes that hit Alaskans fell into three categories, according to the FBI.
Investment fraud deceived investors into making purchases based on false information.
Business email compromise, or BEC, targeted businesses and individuals who work with suppliers that perform wire transfer payments. The scams would compromise email accounts, phone numbers and virtual meeting applications in order to conduct unauthorized transfers of funds.
And tech support fraud involved individuals "posing" as technical or customer support service to gain private information.
Last month, the FBI released its annual report on Internet crimes, which found cybercrime cost U.S. citizens nearly $16 billion last year, as phishing, extortion and personal data breaches spiked. Financial losses for 2024 exceeded losses for 2023 by 33%.
"Reporting is one of the first and most important steps in fighting crime so law enforcement can use this information to combat a variety of frauds and scams," FBI Director Kash Patel said last month.
The FBI urges everyone, no matter the amount of financial loss, to notify all financial institutions involved in the fraudulent transactions and then submit a complaint to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, or ic3.gov.
"To strengthen our collective response to this growing threat, and to help prevent further exploitation and financial harm," Day said, "we urge residents and businesses to stay vigilant and immediately report online fraud to your financial institution and IC3."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Supreme Court allows DOGE staffers to access Social Security data
June 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing members of the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency to access personal Social Security Administration data. On Friday, the Court's six conservatives granted an emergency application filed by the Trump administration to lift an injunction issued by a federal judge in Maryland. Opposing the injunction were the three liberal justices: Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. There are 69 million retirees, disabled workers, dependents and survivors who receive Social Security benefits, representing 28.75% of the U.S. population. In a separate two-page order issued Friday, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration for now to shield DOGE from freedom of information requests seeking thousands of pages of material. This vote also was 6-3 with no written dissenting opinions. In the two-page unsigned order on access, the court said: "We conclude that, under the present circumstances, SSA may proceed to afford members of the SSA DOGE Team access to the agency records in question in order for those members to do their work." The conservatives are Chief Justice John Roberts, and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Three of them were nominated by President Donald Trump during his first term. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander, appointed by President Barack Obama, had ruled that DOGE staffers had no need to access the specific data. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Virginia, declined to block Hollander's decision. The lawsuit was filed by progressive group Democracy Forward on behalf of two unions, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the American Federation of Teachers, as well as the Alliance for Retired Americans. They alleged broader access to personal information would violate a federal law, the Privacy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. "This is a sad day for our democracy and a scary day for millions of people," the groups said in a statement. "This ruling will enable President Trump and DOGE's affiliates to steal Americans' private and personal data. Elon Musk may have left Washington, D.C., but his impact continues to harm millions of people. We will continue to use every legal tool at our disposal to keep unelected bureaucrats from misusing the public's most sensitive data as this case moves forward." Social Security Works posted on X: "No one in history -- no commissioner, no president, no one -- has ever had the access that these DOGE minions have." White House spokesperson Liz Huston after the ruling told NBC News that "the Supreme Court allowing the Trump Administration to carry out commonsense efforts to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse and modernize government information systems is a huge victory for the rule of law." Brown Jackson wrote a nine-page dissenting opinion that the "Government fails to substantiate its stay request by showing that it or the public will suffer irreparable harm absent this Court's intervention. In essence, the 'urgency' underlying the government's stay application is the mere fact that it cannot be bothered to wait for the litigation process to play out before proceeding as it wishes." She concluded her dissent by writing: "The Court opts instead to relieve the Government of the standard obligations, jettisoning careful judicial decisionmaking and creates grave privacy risks for millions of Americans in the process." Kathleen Romig, who worked as a senior adviser at the agency during the Biden administration, told CNN that Americans should be concerned about how DOGE has handled highly sensitive data so far. She said the personal data runs "from cradle to grave." "While the appeals court considers whether DOGE is violating the law, its operatives will have 'God-level' access to Social Security numbers, earnings records, bank routing numbers, mental and reproductive health records and much more," Romig, who now is director of Social Security and disability policy at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. When Trump became president again on Jan. 20, he signed an executive order establishing DOGE with the goal of "modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity." Nearly a dozen DOGE members have been installed at the agency, according to court filings. In all, there are about 90 DOGE workers. DOGE, which was run by billionaire Elon Musk until he left the White House one week ago, wants to modernize systems and detect waste and fraud at the agency. "These teams have a business need to access the data at their assigned agency and subject the government's records to much-needed scrutiny," Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in the court motion. The data includes Social Security numbers, date and place of birth, gender, addresses, marital and parental status, parents' names, lifetime earnings, bank account information, immigration and work authorization status, health conditions for disability benefits and use of Medicare. SSA also has data-sharing agreements with the IRS and the Department of Health and Human Services. The plaintiffs wrote: "The agency is obligated by the Privacy Act and its own regulations, practices, and procedures to keep that information secure -- and not to share it beyond the circle of those who truly need it." Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano, who was sworn in to the post on May 7, said in a statement: that"The Supreme Court's ruling is a major victory for American taxpayers. The Social Security Administration will continue driving forward modernization efforts, streamlining government systems, and ensuring improved service and outcomes for our beneficiaries." On May 23, Roberts temporarily put lower court decisions on hold while the Supreme Court considered what next steps to take. Musk called Social Security "the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time" during an interview with Joe Rogan on Feb. 28. The Social Security system, which started in 1935, transfers current workers' payroll tax payments to people who are already retired. The payroll tax is a mandatory tax paid by employees and employers. The total current tax rate is 12.4%. There is a separate 2.9% tax for Medicare.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dozens arrested in ICE raids leading to LA protests
June 7 (UPI) -- Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents used riot gear as they clashed with protestors during a series of raids in Los Angeles where they ended up detaining more than 40 people. Separate raids by ICE agents earlier this week at a Home Depot and two separate clothing outlet stores drew crowds of protestors on Friday. In some instances, the federal agents carried shields, military-style rifles and shotguns while conducting the raids. The department later confirmed it was executing four federal search warrants at the three locations. "Approximately 44 people were administratively arrested and one arrest for obstruction," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told KTLA TV. "The investigation remains ongoing, updates will follow as appropriate." Service Employees International Union leader David Huerta was among those detained. The SEIU local president was charged with obstruction of justice. "Federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite this morning when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle. He was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday," U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli wrote on X. "Let me be clear: I don't care who you are -- if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted. No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with federal authorities carrying out their duties," he wrote. People can be heard on video yelling at the crowds in Spanish, and telling them not to sign paperwork or speak to federal officials. By Friday evening, the Los Angeles Police Department declared unlawful assembly near the Civic Center in the northern part of the city's downtown core, issuing a city-wide alert that forced all officers to remain on-duty. LAPD officers were later forced to use tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse crowds in the city. At one point, protesters were reportedly throwing large pieces of concrete during the unrest The alert was cancelled around midnight Friday. "As mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X. "These tactics sew terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. My office is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organizations. We will not stand for this."
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Musk deletes explosive posts about Trump and Epstein files
From bringing the heat to retreating on the beef. Elon Musk appears to be backtracking on some of the wild accusations he made during his ugly spat with President Donald Trump earlier this week. Musk sensationally posted on Thursday that the president's name appears in unreleased Jeffrey Epstein files — and said that's why the files haven't been made public. "@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files," Musk wrote on X. "That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" Musk followed the post with another, saying, "Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out." President Trump Teases 'Last Day, But Not Really' For Elon Musk At Doge: Oval Office Presser Set For Friday Read On The Fox News App But eagle-eyed online sleuths noticed that Musk had quietly deleted the posts. The former "First Buddy" dropped the allegation in response to a back-and-forth series of social media messages between him and Trump. But as of today, the post has been removed from the Tesla CEO's timeline. The post wasn't the only one he deleted: Musk also appears to have taken down a post endorsing a message that read, "Trump should be impeached" and that Vance "should replace him." Musk shared the post and wrote "yes," but his comment is no longer visible. The beef between Musk and Trump exploded onto the national scene this week with the SpaceX CEO publicly blasting Trump's major legislation, the Big Beautiful bill, for increasing the deficit by around $2.5 trillion. The feud came despite a months-long "bromance" between the pair, with Musk donating around $277 million to Trump's campaign and enthusiastically supporting his return to office. Trump's return to office also saw Musk oversee the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for months. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in the aftermath of Musk's post that it was an "unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted." Jeffrey Epstein List: Ag Pam Bondi Releases Highly Anticipated Doj Documents The White House said a source familiar with the Epstein matter said it is widely known that Trump kicked Epstein out of his Palm Beach Golf Club. The source also pointed out that the administration released the Epstein files, which included Trump's name, and nothing was new about Musk's revelation. "If Elon truly thought the President was more deeply involved with Epstein, why did he hang out with him for 6 months and say he 'loves him as much as a straight man can love a straight man?'" the source said. Musk's bombshell allegation against Trump comes months after a trove of files pertaining to the Epstein case were released. In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel explaining the delay in the release of documents and placing blame on an FBI field office in New York. Bondi said she requested the full Epstein case file before Patel was confirmed as the head of the FBI and received about 200 pages — far fewer than the number of pages released last year in a civil lawsuit connected to Ghisalaine Maxwell, the trafficker's former lover and convicted accomplice. Although Bondi pushed for the release of the full dossier, which included records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Epstein and his clients, the request remains unfulfilled. One of the key pieces that remains unreleased is a client list, though Bondi claimed in February it was on her desk to be reviewed. The documents that have been released so far include flight logs, an evidence list, a contact book and a redacted "masseuse list" believed to refer to Epstein's victims. Many people named in the documents have never been accused of Epstein-related wrongdoing. However, some have, like Maxwell; Prince Andrew, who has denied allegations of wrongdoing; and Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent who, like Epstein, died in a jail awaiting trial. Epstein, Maxwell and unnamed co-conspirators allegedly abused young women and underage girls between 1996 and his death in 2019, according to the lawsuit. Citing police documents, it alleges that Epstein recruited girls between 14 and 16 as well as students at Palm Beach Community College for "sex-tinged sessions." Maxwell is appealing her conviction while serving a sentence at a federal prison in Tallahassee. She is due for release in the summer of 2037. Fox News Digital's Andrew Mark Miller and Mike Ruiz contributed to this article source: Musk deletes explosive posts about Trump and Epstein files
