Cybersecurity

Today’s cyber landscape provides ample opportunities for criminals and adversaries to target U.S. networks, attack our critical infrastructure, hold our money and data for ransom, facilitate large-scale fraud schemes, and threaten our national security. 

Georgians lost more than $300 million to cyber-enabled crimes last year alone, and that only accounts for victims who filed a report. 

Nationwide losses exceeded $12.5 billion, with investment scams and Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams accounting for the two costliest types of cyber-enabled fraud.

White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit 

Attorney General Chris Carr’s White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit works to investigate and prosecute cyber-enabled theft targeting businesses and consumers throughout the state.

In August 2024, the Unit successfully prosecuted two individuals for participating in multiple cyber fraud schemes that saw victims, including small business, government and individuals, lose significant sums of money through scams such as BEC, romance and confidence fraud, inheritance, and identity theft. In part, a private citizen was conned by a man she believed she could trust, and her money flowed to one of the defendants through four separate business bank accounts – all of which had been established using the stolen identities of Georgia citizens. 

Carr’s White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit also convicted an individual for engaging in a romance scam targeting a senior citizen and another cyber fraud scheme targeting a second older adult. Altogether, the defendant stole more than $230,000 from the two victims.

We’re committed to addressing the real and evolving threat of cyber fraud so we can help to protect Georgia businesses and consumers alike. With our White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit, we will continue to use all available resources to disrupt these criminal operations and seek justice for those who have fallen victim.

Cyber Fraud Task Force 

Cyber fraud scams are perpetrated by an entire network of participants who each play an integral role in the success of the operations. One critical actor in these schemes is the “money mule” – the party responsible for opening a U.S. bank account, usually a business account, and accepting proceeds from a variety of frauds. The money mule then forwards the funds as directed, often to accounts overseas. 

To aid in the investigation and prosecution of suspected money mules in the Atlanta area, Attorney General Chris Carr partnered with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and other local, state, and federal agencies to form the Georgia Cyber Fraud Task Force. The Task Force obtains leads from victim complaints made to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and law enforcement from around the country through the StopTheMuleGa initiative. Members of the Task Force also engage in sustained community outreach and training for law enforcement and prosecutors to better respond to cyber-enabled crime.

Cybersecurity Guide 

To help small businesses, non-profits, and places of worship safeguard their data and devices, the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division created Cybersecurity in Georgia. This comprehensive guide includes critical tips and information about the different types of cyber threats, protecting your data and network, training employees about cybersecurity, planning for and responding to a security breach, cyber insurance, and more. The guide is free and available for download here.

Tips and Reporting Resources

If you have fallen victim to a cyber fraud scheme, such as a BEC or romance scam, file a report with the appropriate financial provider, your local law enforcement agency, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.IC3.gov.  

For more information about online scams and how to protect yourself, visit www.ic3.gov and the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division website.