FBI: Wyoming 3rd in losses due to cyber scammers

CASPER (WNE) — In a report about internet crimes, the FBI placed Wyoming the No. 3 state in per capita losses because of scammers. The 2024 losses were more than $43.5 million — a more than $30 million increase from 2023.

This puts the state behind only Nevada and New Mexico in terms of per capita losses.

Wyoming residents filed 1,377 complaints in 2024 at the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Nationally that year, the IC3 received 859,532 complaints of suspected internet crimes with reported losses of $16.6 billion – a roughly 33% increase from 2023 losses.

The top schemes with the largest dollar amount losses in 2024 in Wyoming were data breach, $21 million, and investment fraud, $13 million, according to a news release from the FBI.

“This report is a sobering reminder that people in Wyoming remain prime targets for scammers who will jump at every opportunity to defraud potential victims,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said. “It’s important for the public to remain vigilant to guard against ever-increasing cyber-enabled threats both at places of employment and in personal life.”

The top schemes in terms of numbers of reports from Wyoming were extortion and personal data breach, and the age group with the most reported losses was those 60 and older — with more than $8.6 million in losses, according to the FBI.

“These are only the reports made to IC3; not every victim files a complaint – or even realizes he or she is a victim — so the actual numbers are probably higher in terms of victims and losses,” FBI officials said in a news release.

The FBI encourages those who might have fallen victim of a cyber-enabled crime to file a complaint at IC3.gov.

This story was published on May 22, 2025.