The number of internet fraud cases fell by 4.5 percent for the first time since 2017. The Federal Police are looking for an explanation based on a large-scale survey.

According to the Federal Police’s annual figures, the number of internet fraud cases fell by 4.5 percent in 2023. According to figures from previous years, there was a strong upward trend with the number of crimes almost tripling between 2017 and 2022. To find an explanation for this paradoxical decline, the Federal Police is asking citizens to take part in a large-scale survey in 2023.

Internet fraud

According to the latest annual figures from the Federal Police, the number of internet fraud cases has decreased by 4.5 percent. However, there has been an increasing trend in previous years, with the number of cases almost tripling between 2017 (14,174) and 2022 (41,911).

Internet fraud includes various forms of fraud committed over the internet. According to police, it could be online shopping fraud, a fake lottery, emotion fraud (fake charity) or identity fraud (theft and misuse).

paradox

The Federal Police calls this decline of 4.5 percent in 2023 paradoxical in times of digitalization and is still in the dark about the cause. Have citizens become more aware of internet fraud, are the awareness campaigns fulfilling their purpose or are citizens less willing to report crimes?

There may be several reasons for this decline. The Federal Police want to clarify this and are launching a new security monitor that citizens can fill out. They hope for maximum participation in this survey in order to collect reliable figures and learn from them. The results of this security monitor are expected in 2025.