From the chance to reconnect with old friends to the ability to watch funny videos at any moment, the internet has provided us with quite a lot to be grateful for. But unfortunately, with the good comes the bad. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has long been advising Americans to be cautious when going online, as criminals are keen on attacking people virtually, and there are so many different ways you could be making yourself a target for scammers. Now, the agency is warning the public about a certain scam that could quite literally pop up on your computer. Read on to find out when you should be turning off your device immediately to protect yourself.
READ THIS NEXT: If You Pick Up the Phone and Hear This, Hang Up, FBI Says in New Warning.
The FBI’s latest Internet Crime Report sheds a concerning light on the prevalence of online scams targeting people throughout the U.S. According to the report, the agency’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received a record number of cybercrime complaints at 847,376 in 2021—which was a 7 percent increase from the number of reported complaints the year prior. This resulted in over $6.9 billion potential losses in total.
“In 2021, America experienced an unprecedented increase in cyber attacks and malicious cyber activity,” Paul Abbate, the deputy director of the FBI, wrote in a statement accompanying the report.
The FBI Field Office…
