Cybercrime Hits Record Highs in 2024: Why Florida Is Under Siege

Image extracted from The 2024 Internet Crime Report, by the FBI.

The 2024 FBI Internet Crime Report paints a grim picture of escalating cyber threats and staggering financial losses. With $16.6 billion in reported costs and 859,532 complaints filed last year, the digital threat landscape has reached historic levels. And no, these aren’t abstract numbers: these are businesses like yours, employees like yours, and customers who trust you.

Let’s explore what the FBI data tells us, why Florida stands out as a top target, and how a structured, proactive cybersecurity methodology can ensure your operations stay uninterrupted and your reputation untarnished.

2024 by the Numbers: The Alarming Trends

According to The 2024 FBI Internet Crime Report:

• Investment fraud topped the list, costing victims $6.57 billion, a clear sign that trust-based scams are evolving and expanding.
  
  
• Business Email Compromise attacks targeting invoice payments, payroll, and vendor communications led to $2.77 billion in losses.
  
  
• Ransomware complaints rose 9%, especially within critical infrastructure sectors.
  
  
• Over $9.3 billion in fraud was facilitated through cryptocurrency, a major blind spot for many organizations.
  
  
• In total, 859,532 complaints were filed, representing a 33% increase compared to 2023.
  
  
• $16.6 billion in losses were reported, with 256,256 incidents resulting in confirmed financial damage.
  
  
• The average loss per victim reached $19,372, underscoring how a single breach can significantly impact individuals and businesses alike.

These statistics aren’t just benchmarks, they’re warning signs. The attack surface is growing, and so is the sophistication of the threats exploiting it.

Why Is Florida the #2 Most Targeted State?

The report also provides valuable insights into the geographical distribution of cybercrime across the United States. Florida's emergence as the 2nd most attacked state with 52,191 total complaints and $1.07 billion in losses. Several factors converge to make the Sunshine State a cybercrime hotspot:

• High concentration of retirees: With over 11,000 complaints from people aged over 60, it's clear that Florida’s elderly population is frequently targeted by investment and tech support scams.
  
  
• Wealth & property: High-value real estate and digital financial activity attract phishing, email attacks, and ransomware incidents.
  
  
• Tourism & transient networks: Frequent digital transactions from short-term renters, travel bookings, and remote workers expand the attack surface.
  
  
• Cryptocurrency schemes: Florida residents over 60 lost $1.6 billion in crypto investment fraud alone.

This makes Florida’s businesses especially vulnerable—and urgently in need of end-to-end protection.

Why Strategic Partnership Matters More Than Ever

Let’s face it: today’s cybercriminals are automated, fast, and persistent. You can't fight them with a patchwork of disconnected solutions or a 9-to-5 security team. However, Netdata's unique approach can provide your company with a significant competitive advantage, enabling you to outpace any potential threat:

• We don’t stop at alerts, we enable automated containment.
• We don’t just monitor, we hunt.
• We don’t work from playbooks, we write them.

Our process ensures every layer of your digital presence is guarded, from endpoints and emails to industrial networks and APIs. We provide real-time support and automated forensics backed by compliance-driven best practices. This enables you to prevent rather than just respond.

Netdata's Unique Approach Delivers Measurable Results

Most cybersecurity providers install tools and leave the rest to you. That’s like buying a fire alarm and assuming it will put out a fire. At Netdata, we take ownership. We don’t measure success by avoiding downtime, we measure it by empowering your long-term operational continuity.

With Netdata your cybersecurity matures with your business, your incident response improves every day, and your customers trust your ability to protect their data.

In an era where cyberattacks are no longer “if” but “when,” businesses must stop relying on static solutions. You need a living defense model. You need Netdata.

The 2024 FBI Internet Crime Report serves as a powerful reminder of the escalating threat of cybercrime. Organizations must move beyond reactive measures and embrace a proactive, multi-faceted cybersecurity strategy. 

By partnering with a cybersecurity expert like Netdata, businesses can secure their operations, protect their reputation, and build a resilient defense against the most sophisticated tactics.

Talk to us today and discover how our lifecycle model can protect your organization from the first alert to the final audit.