The IC3: An Effort towards a Crime-Free Cyber Space.
One of the objectives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with respect to cyber crime is to dismantle national and transnational organized criminal enterprises engaging in Internet fraud. In pursuance of this objective, the FBI in partnership with White Collar Crime Centre has set up the Internet Crime Complain Centre or the IC3, formally called the Internet Fraud Complaint Centre.
Purpose of the IC3
The task of the IC3 to receive, develop and refer complaints in the area of cyber crime. It acts as the central referral mechanism for internet fraud complaints to the FBI and other local law enforcement and regulatory agencies. The IC3 also performs analysis and research and releases annual statistics on internet crime. Since its inception in 2000, the IC3 has received internet fraud complaints covering a wide spectrum of cyber crime. These include the following;
- Crime related to Intellectual Property Rights
- Computer Intrusions or Hacking
- Economic Espionage
- Online Extortion
- International Money Laundering
- Identity Theft and so on.
How to File a Complaint with the IC3
The complaint can be filed at http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx. The process of filing an internet fraud complaint is simple and can be done online by filling a form with the following details;
- Your Name
- Mailing Address
- The name, address, telephone number, web address of the person or organization which, according to you has cheated you.(if available)
- Any other relevant information in support of the complaint
The form may be filled in by either the person who has been defrauded or a third party to the complainant. This free internet fraud complaint centre should be availed on event of being a victim of any type of internet fraud or scam. The complaint is then reviewed by an analyst and forwarded to the concerned federal or local law enforcement agency.
It should be borne in mind that filing a complaint with IC3 does not serve as a notification to the credit card company about any dispute regarding unauthorized charges or related matters. The credit card company should be directly notified of any specific concerns.
Reporting an Internet fraud or scam is not only a duty but a moral obligation. It is important to report the scams so that the authorities can take appropriate punitive and corrective actions against the wrong doers thereby preventing any future criminal or fraudulent cases. Besides, it is very important to educate one’s self about the fraud schemes and the preventive measures to create a crime-free cyber space.
