Internet fraud has increased twice at the beginning of 2009

FBI’s Internet Fraud Complaint Center affirms in its report that Internet fraud in the U.S. increased by 33% in 2008 and continues rising for the first time in three years. Early indicators for 2009 are not cheerful either, they showed a 50% increase in reported Internet fraud complaints with February to March 2009.
Internet fraud includes the wide range of misdeeds from phony sales on auction and classified sites to financial pyramids like Ponzi scheme. Identity theft is now one of the most widespread and fastest-growing crimes in the United States. Each year about ten million Americans become the victims of some form of identity fraud. Phone and utilities fraud, bank and loan fraud, employment and government document fraud, and medical records fraud represent perhaps even more pernicious forms of ID crime. Identity theft considers being very dangerous form of Internet fraud because of its long-term effect – for years it can prevent person from securing employment, tag him as a criminal offender, throw him into a higher tax bracket, or worse.
Talking about the protection from the Internet fraud, Justin Yurek, President of ID Watchdog, Inc., the most comprehensive consumer identity monitoring service available, says: “Most identity theft protection services focus solely on ID monitoring but that is just half the story. As Internet fraud and identity theft crime becomes more and more prevalent, the need for a consumer advocate in this space has never been more pressing.”