The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released its 2016 Internet Crime Report (IC3) in June 2017. The IC3 report is essential for state and local law enforcement agencies, individuals, and businesses to keep an eye on Internet crime trends, including who is being targeted and how successful the offenders have been. In New Jersey, we need to pay particularly close attention to the report as the FBI found the state ranked 13 out of 57 regions for the number of victims. We also ranked 11 out of 57 for the total amount of money lost by our state’s Internet crime victims.

While the FBI can obtain a great deal of data regarding Internet crimes, these offenses are still more complex than physical and visible crimes like assault or robbery. It can be difficult to determine who exactly perpetrated a crime from a specific location. That is why people can be wrongly accused of Internet-based crimes. Individuals wrongfully charged with an Internet crime should contact a Jersey City criminal defense lawyer from Bhatt Law Group as soon as possible. Call us today at (201) 798-8000.

Internet Crime in New Jersey

The most common types of Internet crimes committed in New Jersey in 2016, based on the number of victims, were:

• Non-payment/non-delivery – 1,973 victims
• Auction – 751 victims
• Personal data breach – 621 victims
• 419/overpayment – 606 victims
• Phishing – 575 victims
• Employment – 419 victims
• Extortion – 334 victims
• Harassment/threats of violence – 324 victims
• Social media – 319 victims
• Identity theft – 317 victims

While these types of Internet-based crimes were most common, they were not necessarily the most profitable for offenders. The types of Internet crimes that caused the greatest losses to the victims in 2016 were:

• Business email and email account compromise, – $8,687,798
• Confidence fraud/romance – $5,351,192
• Non-payment/non-delivery – $3,042,598
• 419/overpayment – $2,536,493
• Employment – $1,947,168
• Personal data breach – $1,659,730
• Advanced fee – $1,535,031
• Extortion – $1,402,417
• Real estate/rental – $1,348,760
• Harassment/threats of violence – $1,199,863

Of all Internet crime perpetrated in New Jersey in 2016, the FBA found people between the ages of 50 and 59 were most targeted. There were 1,747 victims in their 50s, 1,030 victims in their 40s, and 1,010 victims in their 30s. There were 989 victims in their 20s and then 951 victims who were older than 60. Adolescents under 20 were the least targeted, with only 246 victims.

Have You Been Charged With an Internet Crime?

If you have been charged with committing a crime online, you should not waste time trying to figure out what to do yourself. The best thing for you to do is contact an experienced Jersey City criminal defense lawyer AT Bhatt Law Group. We will thoroughly review your situation, including the prosecutor’s evidence against you, and build you the strongest defense possible under the law.

Some potential defenses to a cyber crime charge include:

• Mistake of identity, including an alibi for the time and location of the crime
• Not having access to the computer or network used to commit the crime
• Having explicit or implicit permission to access, alter, or copy the data in question

A common issue with Internet crime cases is how evidence against you was obtained. Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies may have overstepped their legal bounds and obtained private information without a proper warrant. If we find your home, computer, or other electronic devices were searched without consent or a valid warrant, we will seek to have this evidence suppressed and not available for trial.

Contact Our Jersey City Criminal Defense Lawyers Today

Do not waste a minute fighting criminal charges alone. Contact us at Bhatt Law Group online or call us at (201) 798-8000 to schedule a free consultation.