Fairmont, WV — The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has logged its 2 millionth consumer complaint alleging online criminal activity. The 2 millionth complaint arrived on November 9th, 2010 at 8:11 PM.

The IC3, a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, went operational in May of 2000 and received its one millionth complaint seven years later, on June 11, 2007. Receipt of its 2 millionth complaint required half that time, illustrating both the increased visibility of the IC3 and the continued growth of cyber crime.

The mission of the IC3 is to receive, develop, and refer cyber crime complaints to local, state, federal and international law enforcement agencies. The IC3 gives cyber crime victims a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations.

Since its inception, the IC3 has referred 757,016 criminal complaints to all levels of law enforcement around the globe. The majority of referrals involved fraud in which the complainant incurred a financial loss. The total dollar loss from these referrals so far is approximately $1.7 billion, with a median dollar loss of more than $500 per complaint.*

Many complaints involved identity theft, such as loss of personally identifying data and the unauthorized use of credit cards or bank accounts. The IC3 uses information from the complaints to detect emerging trends and to proactively fight to preclude consumer victimization through educational efforts with project partners, various publications, and the consumer education website, www.LooksTooGoodToBeTrue.com.

Visit www.IC3.gov for more information. To schedule a time for interviews, please contact the FBI Press Office at 202-324-3691 or the NW3C Press Office at 800-221-4424.

*Statistics reflect reporting through 2009.