On May 23, 2001, the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) - a cooperative project between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) - unveiled the findings of Operation Cyber Loss, a national takedown of Internet fraud schemes.

Special Agent Bob Pocica of the IFCC was online to discuss Operation Cyber Loss and the IFCC's role in developing a national strategy to address Internet fraud.

NOTE: Per the FBI's request, please DO NOT use this forum to post crime leads or solicitations to investigate matters. If you have an emergency, please contact the nearest FBI office or, if outside the United States, contact the nearest Legal Attachι office.

A transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Special Agent Bob Pocica: Hello everyone. It's nice to join you. I'll start responding to your questions now.

Alexandria, Va.: Was "Operation Cyber Loss" one investigation or a series of investigations?

Special Agent Bob Pocica: Operation Cyber Loss is a national inititive addressing Internet fraud. It is a series of state, local, and federal investigations. Most of these investigations were initiated by the IFCC.

New York, N.Y.: Are there IFCC "centers" in large cities to assist in investigations? Thank you

Special Agent Bob Pocica: The IFCC is the only center. As such, it is the platform for aggragating complaints nationally and internationally. There is no reason to have multiple IFCC centers. The premise being, by centralizing all of the information in one location, we can better assess the crime problem and initiate case referrals.

Miami, Florida: What are the steps to be taken after someone is scammed on an auction or internet deal ?

I've been scammed, I reported it to the authorities but no answer or action taken.

Scammed once from someone in Utah, whom stole some 50,000 or more, and another in Palatka, Florida.

Special Agent Bob Pocica: If someone feels that they have been the victim of Internet crime, they should file a complaint with www.ifccfbi.gov. The reason for the formation of the IFCC was to centralize the complaints of Internet victims, some of which are minimal in dollar losses, but high in number of victims. The reason many individuals reports to law enforcement are not acted upon is due to the smaller dollar loss and not collating all the various complaints from around the U.S. That is the exact reason the IFCC was started.

Washington, D.C.: Were you surprised by that auction fraud was such a source of fraud? Were there any surprises uncovered in Operation Cyber Loss?

Special Agent Bob Pocica: Since most of the complaints we receive at this time are from consumers, it was not a surprise that auction fraud would be near the top. The reason being, most auction frauds are low in dollar amount and, if reported locally to law enforcement, may not receive immediate attention. Again, by reporting it to the IFCC, we can view the crime problem for auction fraud nationally, collating the cases and therefore, showing the larger scope and scale of these types of frauds.

Detroit, Mich.: Bob--

I'm a reporter with the Detroit Free Press. Were the folks arrested as part of Operation Cyber Loss pretty representative of the types of online fraud the IFCC found most common in its report earlier this year? Did they seem to have any common characteristics (other than the fact that they were allegedly breaking the law)?

Heather N.

Special Agent Bob Pocica: The types of frauds that were reported with Operation Cyber Loss are representative of the type of complaints that the IFCC is receiving. You need to remember that this may not be representative of the totality of fraud that may be occuring on the Internet, but what is being reported to us. As more consumers and businesses continue to report Internet fraud to us, the types of crimes are certain to change.

Georgetown, D.C.: How do you go about catching criminals over the internet?

Special Agent Bob Pocica: The FBI and law enforcement agencies utilize normal investigative techniques in investigating Internet fraud. However, due to the nature and complexity of the Internet, some specialized techniques have to be used. Cooperation between the private sector and law enforcement is vital to the success of these types of investigations.

Glendale, Calif.: I'm curious as to what age group of people are committing the most internet crimes. Are they younger people with an aptitude for hacking away at systems for fun, or is the problem much more serious without a specific group committing the crimes?

Aside from altering websites, or stealing money from bank accounts, what other types of internet crimes occur?

Special Agent Bob Pocica: The age group of the individuals that we have been investigating most recently ranges from teenagers to people in their 50s. However, most of the subjects appear to be male, and between the ages of 20-35.

For the second part of your question, go to www.ifccfbi.gov. It has a lot more detailed information relating to the types of fraud and demographics.

Arlington, Va.: Thank you for coming on to chat today. Does the FBI keep track of how often identity theft occurs online? If I'm a typical Internet user, are my chances of identity theft 1 in 80? Or 1 in 800? And is credit card theft considered different from identity theft?

Special Agent Bob Pocica: Even though identity theft has received a lot of attention lately as a new crime, in fact it has been around for decades. Identity theft is a vehicle for committing fraud. It generally is not a singular type of crime. Individuals obtain identifying information to commit financial fraud. I really don't have any stats regarding what percentage chances you have being a victim of identity theft.
Most identity theft and financial fraud cases are underreported by individuals and businesses, as such it is hard to truly identify the scope of the problem.

Ewan, New Jersey: How does IFCC work with the online auction sites such as Ebay and Yahoo to identify potential criminals?

Special Agent Bob Pocica: The IFCC and law enforcement in general work very well with the private sector regarding Internet fraud. Specifically, ebay and yahoo have investigative teams that look into criminal activity that may be occuring on their sites. The IFCC staff works closely with these investigators to resolve issues that are of concern to their customers.

Novato, California: Special Agent Pocica what is more the more damaging of Internet fraud Credit Card or Identity and what is the best recourse?

Special Agent Bob Pocica: Identity theft and credit card fraud go hand in hand. Someone stealing your credit card information, which is identity theft, would utilize this credit card information to reap financial gain. As I stated in a previous answer, identity theft is a means of obtaining personal information or data to commit a fraud for financial gain. Your best recourse would be to notify www.ifccfbi.gov as well as reporting the information to your credit card company.

Bryan, Ohio: Why don't you list "active, or known" scammers some place so that buyers can be alerted?

Special Agent Bob Pocica: The IFCC, as its database of complaints, increases will be issuing reports, bulletins, and crime trend information on its website at www.ifccfbi.gov.
This information will be available to the general public on our website.

Staten Island, N.Y.: I am a college student majoring in computer science and engineering science. I want to know how can I become an FBI agent?
What do I have to do?

Special Agent Bob Pocica: Your major is terrific and one that would be an asset to the Bureau. The basic requirements for becoming an Agent are: minimum age of 23, undergraduate degree, three years work experience, pass a physical exam and background. For more specific information, contact FBI New York - which is located in Manhattan - and ask for the Special Agent recruiter who can provide you with hiring brochures and material.

San Diego, Calif.: What can we do as individuals, to safeguard against online or identity theft? What should we look for to spot it?

Special Agent Bob Pocica: First off, be aware of who and where you're giving personal data to. Secondly, conduct some due diligence if you are going to a new site or company to ensure that it is, in fact, a real company. Insure that when you log in or go to a site, that the URL address is correct. By doing that, you can validate whether or not you are being rerouted or linked to a look-alike web address.

Georgetown, D.C.: Do you find it easier to track criminals who are Internet frauds or the every day criminals on the street, as there are so many ways to cover your tracks over the Internet?
Thank you, Willow

Special Agent Bob Pocica: The everyday criminals obviously leave more physical evidence, such as fingerprints, surveillance photographs, possibly DNA, or other such things. In cyberspace, criminals would also leave certain trails that can indicate who may have committed the crimes. However, as new technologies and processes develop, it becomes harder to trace these transactions. As such, law enforcement needs to be able to team with the private sector and academia to stay on the forefront of new technologies and techniques.

Austin, Texas: Hello Special Agent,
How do you respond to those who claim that it is the buyers' responsibility to protect themselves from fraud; that we have so much more serious crime to fight with a finite set of funds; and that the nation would be better served by an FBI focused on real issues of public safety instead of on protecting the interests of careless people who do silly things on the internet, of all places?

Thanks for taking my question.

Special Agent Bob Pocica: First of all, it should be the buyer's responsibility to ensure that they are not losing their money in a financial transaction. However, if it does occur, then they should be able to contact law enforcement regarding this crime. You are correct in indicating that law enforcement only has a finite amount of funds and that serious and crimes against individuals need to be addressed in a timely manner. Individuals and businesses that are defrauded also have a serious impact on society. These costs, which are substantial, are passed on to all of us. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies do focus on the needs of individuals and public safety, but we also have the responsibility to respond to, and investigate, white collar crime matters.
The impact of the Internet and white collar crime is that there are an increased number of victims, due to the speed and volume by which the Internet contacts individuals. As we move forward in society with an increased reliance on using the Internet for various types of transactions, the amount of fraud will increase as well. If the FBI, through initiatives such as the IFCC, can have an impact and help ensure the safety of individuals using the Internet, then we need to be doing this.

Arlington, Va.: How did you select the targets for Operation Cyber Loss? I know that I, along with most people I know, get two or three scam emails a day and I'm sure there are dozens if not hundreds of fraudulant auctions going on at various websites every day. But, of course, no law enforcement agency on the planet has the manpower to go after all or even most of these frauds. What separated the ones you targeted in this investigation from the general background of small-time fraud that prevades online life?

Special Agent Bob Pocica: We really didn't select the individuals to be targeted as subjects. The victims provided us the information as to who defrauded them.
The IFCC analyzes the complaints and aggragates the multiple victim cases and subsequently refers them to law enforcement agencies at either the local, state, or federal level.
Operation Cyber Loss is just the first of many initiatives that the IFCC will be coordinating regarding Internet fraud investigations. The announcement last week is just representative of some of the cases that we have brought together for arrest and indictments at this time.
The IFCC will continue to refer all types and sizes of cases to law enforcement and regulatory agencies.
You're correct in stating that no longer enforcement agency on the planet has the manpower to investigate all of these cases individually. That is why the IFCC refers the complaints out to several agencies at one time.

San Antonio, Texas: Hello Heloise here -- I was just talking to a rep at the Social Security office to check info for a column. I asked him about people who carry their Social Security card with them? He said they SHOULD NOT carry the card around. The only time one should need it is if you are applying for a new job. It is very bad when a card gets into the wrong hands. What do you think?
Heloise
Hints from Heloise

Special Agent Bob Pocica: Hello Heloise. I think that all individuals should maintain appropriate security over their personal data and information. If it appears that you will not be needing your Social Security card for benefit purposes then why would you be carrying it?
It's obvious that you need to carry your driver's license and credit cards which you may use on a daily basis for identification or transactions. If you're not going to be using items of personal or financial data, you should secure these items in an appropriate place.

Special Agent Bob Pocica: I would like to thank everyone for their great qustions and interest regarding Internet fraud. If anyone feels they've been a victim of Internet fraud, please go to
www.ifccfbi.gov
Thanks, Bob.

washingtonpost.com:

That was our last question today. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.

Stay tuned to Live Online:

Dirda on Books at 2 p.m. EDT
Art of Jacob Lawrence at 2 p.m. EDT
Home Front: Flea Markets at 2 p.m. EDT

Keep up with the latest in news, sports, politics and entertainment with washingtonpost.com e-mail newsletters.

   |       |