It’s not the kind of record any of us working to help computer users’ combat security and privacy threats, like our team here at Lavasoft, hopes to see being set:

According to an annual report released yesterday by the U.S. watchdog group, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2008 was the busiest year yet for online fraud, with more than $264 million lost and over 275,284 complaints. That’s a $25 million dollar jump in losses and a 33 percent swell in complaints compared to 2007.

On a more encouraging note, to raise caution and awareness, the IC3’s Internet Crime Report also offers best practices to prevent online crime and tells how to file tips or report complaints. Take a look. (PDF)