Cybercrime: Under-reporting almost as bad as the crime itself | Opinion

Ervin Zubic
Updated ·3 min read
Ervin Zubic
Ervin Zubic

In the shadowy realms of the internet, thousands fall victim to cybercrime daily. Yet, what if I told you the real menace isn't just the crimes themselves but the silence of its countless victims? In Florida, this silence is deafening and reveals a story graver than official statistics ever show.

The FBI's 2022 data tallies up to 42,792 cybercrime victims in Florida. However, our recent study unearthed a stark reality: a massive 56% of victims remain silent, never reporting their ordeals. These individuals are the unsung casualties of our digital era, causing us to question: Why are over half of all cybercrime victims opting for silence? The economic aftermath of these unreported crimes is equally disconcerting. While official losses are $845 million, our adjusted estimates, factoring in the silent victims, rocket to a staggering $1.457 billion. This estimate of unreported cybercrime victims was extrapolated from the 42,792 Florida victims reported in the FBI IC3 Report 2022, based on the 44% crime reporting rate observed in blockquiry survey respondents.

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The findings from our survey reveal pressing concerns surrounding the process and effectiveness of cybercrime reporting. Nearly 29% of respondents felt that reporting would make a small difference. Approximately 27% of respondents expressed uncertainty about how to report the incident. An in-depth look into sheriff's office websites across Florida's five largest counties paints a concerning picture. While online reporting features exist on three of the five home pages, their visibility could be better. Alarmingly, cybercrime, a modern menace, doesn't find specific mention on any of them.

We cannot overlook emotional barriers that prevent some victims from reporting cybercrimes. Embarrassment shackles about 11% of victims, and privacy concerns plague an unsettling 9%. Unfortunately, these concerns are rooted in reality. When victims submit their reports online, they unwittingly offer information to data giants like LexisNexis. These companies commodify their details instead of treating them with the confidentiality one would expect from the police. As a result, the chasm of mistrust deepens, exacerbating the problem.

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A paramount first step towards solutions would be introducing a centralized and user-friendly cybercrime reporting platform that accepts reports and instantly relays them to the necessary agencies and financial entities. Streamlining would make reporting incidents less daunting for victims and ensure that authorities don't ignore their complaints.

State law enforcement agencies need to update their online interfaces urgently. Cybercrime should be front and center, with reporting tools conspicuously positioned on home pages. Clear instructions and guidelines are necessary to dissolve the current cloud of ambiguity.

Law enforcement also must take a hard stance against sharing sensitive information with external data brokers and aggregators. This means not only establishing but rigorously enforcing policies that prevent the commercialization of victims' data. Trust, once lost, is hard to regain; these measures aim to rebuild that foundation.

Lastly, comprehensive education and awareness campaigns can foster a more hopeful and trusting environment by acquainting the public with revamped reporting mechanisms.

Riviera Beach fell prey to a ransomware attack. Florida Atlantic University finds the costs of cybercrime are soaring.
Riviera Beach fell prey to a ransomware attack. Florida Atlantic University finds the costs of cybercrime are soaring.

The pressing need is to ensure victims feel encouraged to come forward and bolster the authorities' ability to act swiftly and efficiently. As Floridians and citizens of the digital age, we must advocate for improved systems and clear reporting pathways. Partnering with innovative companies in the private sector can provide the technological edge required. A collective understanding of the true impact of cybercrime is vital. Only by addressing these challenges head-on can we shed light on the hidden victims.

Ervin Zubic is the founder of blockquiry, a Saint Petersburg company developing fraud detection tools and other anti-cybercrime applications.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Cybercrime is vastly under-reported