Business email compromise scams proved costly to victims in 2020

The FBI received more than 19,000 complaints of business email compromises last year, costing victims around $1.8 billion. In 2020, cybercriminals amped up their attacks by taking advantage of a host of events, from the coronavirus pandemic to remote working and learning to the presidential election and more. Among the many types of cyber crimes affecting organizations and individuals last year, business email compromises and email account compromises proved especially costly. Released Wednesday, the FBI's "2020 Internet Crime Report" looks at BEC scams and other internet-related crimes and offers suggestions on what to do if you're a victim.