LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The FBI's latest annual report shows that nationally, money lost to cybercrime has more than tripled in the last five years, totaling over $37 billion. On a state level, the FBI reported that Arkansans lost more than $46 million to internet scams in 2023.
Special Agent Tonja Sablatura supervises the FBI's cyber program in Little Rock. She said that cybercrimes are rising and getting more advanced.
"All of us have received those emails or text messages or voice calls, voicemail calls soliciting for us to click on a link or open an attachment, and we have to now, more than ever, be super scrutinous," Sablatura said. "It's very prevalent. Unfortunately, even websites we visit routinely can be compromised and hacked... because [of] cybercrime. It's not if; it's when you fall victim."
Each scam could look different, targeting your information, money, or both.
"Sometimes actors will be in our email accounts for weeks, if not months, studying our behaviors and how we speak," Sabkatura said. "Looking for the perfect opportunity to send an email that to maybe a vendor or an attorney or your payroll clerk or HR clerk, looking to redirect payment monies to the bank, banking institution of their choosing, and a lot of times it goes undetected."
How important is your password?
Sablatura said the "days of using simple passwords" are over.
"You can buy a password hacker online on the dark web for pennies on the dollar," Sablatura said. "If your password is compromised, the first thing that threat actors are going to do is try it on all your accounts, so change them. Don't keep it in your notepad on your iPhone. If your iPhone is compromised, that's the first place they'll go and look."
In a password tester, it shows that a simple phrase like "PASSWORD" would take no time at all to crack. However, Sablatura recommended using a phrase with a unique character like, "THECOWJUMPEDOVERTHEMOON!" could take centuries.
Who's at risk?
Your account is connected to you. You're connected to your employment. You're connected to your friends and family. If hackers can even get into your email account, they can pivot to others using your identity and authenticity to commit a different fraud.
Sablatura said the issue is becoming so prevalent that it's a business completed with review sites and payment plans.
"They're going to employ that ransomware at the most inconvenient time, so maybe right before a holiday weekend, so it goes undetected," Sablatura said. "Once it's detected, what will happen is the company will usually get a ransom note, and it'll indicate what the ransom payment needs to be... sometimes they'll even offer to do remediation services. After the fact, they'll help to do a payment plan for the victim and ask for reviews afterward on how well their service was regarding the remediation after the ransomware attack."
Additionally, Sablatura said scams targeting older people are more prevalent than ever, with bad actors building fake relations or tech assistance scams to target their savings.
Can you get your money back?
"A lot of the time... [hackers] are using virtual platforms, VoIP, things that are very difficult for us to track to figure out where these threat actors are sitting," Sablatura said. "Even when we do locate them, a lot of times, they are not sitting in friendly countries. It will be very difficult for us to put cuffs on."
That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out of options, but you must act fast. According to Sablatura, your best chance of getting your money back is within the first 24 to 72 hours. Sometimes, people might not even know the money’s gone for weeks.
"Until the vendor calls and says, 'Hey, we never received payment for our product'... by that time, that money is probably overseas and more difficult, if at all possible, to freeze and return to the victim," Sablatura said. "If it's not reported in a timely manner, the ability to freeze those monies for the victims dissipates very quickly."
How to report a cyber crime to the FBI
If you become a victim of a crime or see something suspicious, the FBI wants to hear about it.
"If you do fall victim, file the report at IC3.gov; you can always call the Little Rock field office, simply reporting it," Sablatura said. "It sounds an alarm that, 'Hey, this is going on in my community,' and the cyber threat is pervasive. It is not going away."