Internet Crooks Thrive in California

top complaints from CA Victims of online criminals
	Percent
Nondelivery of merchandise/payment	22.4
Identity theft	16.2
Auction fraud	10.7
Miscellaneous consumer fraud	7.8
Credit card fraud	7.6
Computer intrusion/hacking	6.5
Overpayment fraud	4.1
Advance fee fraud	3.9
Spam	3.5
FBI scams	3.4
Source: Internet Crime Complaint Center, California IC3 2010 Internet Crime Report

by Rachel Glas

Internet crime loomed large in California last year. More perpetrators of online crimes reside in California than anywhere else in the country. Though the state is home to 12 percent of the nation, it harbors 15.8 percent of the online perpetrators; Florida claims second place with 9.8 percent.

According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center's 2010 report, California complaints totaled 35,000, equal to 13.7 percent of all complaints in the United States. Financial losses in California added up to $46 million, with the majority of victims losing between $100 and $5,000. Men in California were much more likely than women to commit these crimes, accounting for more than three-quarters of the perpetrators, though victims in the state were evenly split between genders.

One unique problem is the borderless nature of these crimes, necessitating national and sometimes international cooperation from law enforcement agencies. Of California victims who knew the origin of the crime, only 39 percent said the perpetrator lived in the same state.

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