FBI and technology safety officials met in Springfield THURSDAY to discuss cyber security concerns.
Last year the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center took in 900,000 complaints with 7 billion dollars worth of losses.
The state of Illinois had the fifth highest number of victims and the seventh highest monetary loss.
Officials say there are two main types of threats. One is cybercrime where people are attempting to steal money and the other is nation-state threats where outside groups are attempting to infiltrate infrastructure.
The FBI monitors trends and hacking schemes to notify the public and companies of safety threats. One new trend is called spear-fishing. This is where people collect your data and use it to replicate you online.
While some internet practices seem like common sense, it only takes one mistake to compromise your information. Nanz said there is no such thing as being too suspicious when it comes to giving your personal information.
You don’t have to give up your social security number, they just want your date of birth so they can send you “coupons on your birthday” or something, be extra vigilant about who you share your information with.
For more information on cyber crimes or to report an incident, visit the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center website.