The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) that serves as a clearinghouse to triage cyber crime complaints, has released its 2009 annual Internet crime report. This year’s findings show that, once again this year, online crime complaints ‘increased substantially,’ highlighting the threat posed by cyber criminals.

From the 2009 Internet Crime Report:

• IC3 received a total of 336,655 complaints in 2009, a 22%  increase from 2008.

• The total loss linked to online fraud was $559.7 million, up from $265 million in 2008.

According to a statement from NW3C Director Donald Brackman, “The figures contained in this report indicate that criminals are continuing to take full advantage of the anonymity afforded them by the Internet. They are also developing increasingly sophisticated means of defrauding unsuspecting consumers. Internet crime is evolving in ways we couldn't have imagined just five years ago.”

The FBI encourages people to stay safe by having up-to-date security protection, as well as being skeptical of messages received by e-mail.

View the full report and Internet crime prevention tips on IC3’s website.