Online scams cost Pennsylvanians $400 million last year: "People are losing everything"

Online scams cost Pennsylvanians $400 million last year as the entire country saw a 33% increase in losses, the FBI said in an annual report released on Wednesday.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received nearly 28,000 reports from Pennsylvania last year, the fifth most among other states. The top three complaints reported by victims were phishing/spoofing, extortion and personal data breach, the FBI says.

Pennsylvanians over the age of 60 were hit the hardest, losing more than $150 million, according to the report. That trend is mirrored nationwide. The FBI says Americans over 60 lost nearly $5 billion. 

Overall, the FBI says more than 860,000 complaints cost Americans more than $16 billion, which is a 33% increase from the previous year. 

"We see the real-world impacts of these schemes every day and it is devastating. People are losing everything they have in these situations, including their life savings and their sense of security," FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said in a news release. "Empowering the public with the knowledge of how to spot these scams in their daily life, and how to protect their friends, families, and neighbors, is among the top priorities for the FBI."  

The FBI encourages victims to report suspected scams, saying it helps law enforcement in the fight against cyber crimes. 

"Reporting is one of the first and most important steps in fighting crime so law enforcement can use this information to combat a variety of frauds and scams," FBI director Kash Patel said in a statement. "The IC3, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is only as successful as the reports it receives; that's why it's imperative that the public immediately report suspected cyber-enabled criminal activity to the FBI."