Financial Crimes Prevention

Financial Crimes threaten the safety of financial systems world-wide. Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crimes in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain.

Did you know?

• 25% of people who report losing money to fraud say they were tricked into providing gift card numbers (FTC, 2021)
• Checks and wire transfers continue to be the payment methods most impacted by fraud activity (JP Morgan, 2021)
• Bitcoin (BTC) is the most common ransomware–related payment method in reported transactions (Financial Trends Analysis, 2021)
• FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3 received a 69% increase in total complaints from 2019 to 2020 (IC3, 2020)
• The elderly lose an average of $34,200 in reported instances of financial crime (AARP, 2021)

Partners & Resources

• Houston Police Department Cyber & Financial Crimes Division investigates criminal activity carried out through the use of technology and modern telecommunication networks. www.houstontx.gov/police/divisions/cyber_&_financial_crimes/index.htm
• Harris County District Attorney Consumer Fraud Division employs Fraud Examiners in the Major Fraud Division, Consumer Fraud, and the Public Integrity Division. app.dao.hctx.net/how-avoid-consumer-fraud
• Harris County Sheriff’s Office Financial Crimes Unit educates the community on financial crime prevention and investigates financial crimes. www.harriscountyso.org/Programs/programs_BurglaryAndFinancialCrimes.aspx
• AARP has programs that educate seniors on the costs of financial exploitation and how to prevent it. https://local.aarp.org/houston-tx/