Online scams are everywhere, and we must be vigilant in avoiding their traps. However, the average person is likely unaware of the ubiquity of these scams and the variety of forms in which they come.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, is the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime. According to IC3’s FBI Internet Crime Report for 2024, IC3 received 859,532 complaints, an increase of 9% from 2023, and calculated a total loss from internet fraud at $16.6 billion dollars. Those in the 60-plus age group are especially susceptible. They accounted for 147,127 of the total complaints as well as $4.8 billion dollars of the total loss.

Many online scams begin with phishing or spoofing, which can be as simple as a phone or email that seeks private information while posing as a pers

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