Cybercrime Prevention: Online Crime and Fraud Reporting with the Cybercrime Support Network

The collaboration will leverage research and a prototype form developed by members of the inaugural class of Aspen Tech Policy Hub fellows

San Francisco, CA, January 8, 2020 – The Cybercrime Support Network (CSN) and the Aspen Tech Policy Hub are teaming up to work towards the goal of creating a single, easy-to-use system to report online fraud and cybercrime directly to appropriate law enforcement agencies.

Every year, it is estimated that one-third of American adults are victims of cybercrime or online fraud. Older Americans are disproportionately affected — over the last five years, cybercrime against U.S. seniors has risen 400 percent and resulted in $650 million in annual losses.

While scam tactics have evolved, federal databases, reporting forms and scam prevention efforts have not kept pace. When consumers report scams to the government, law enforcement officials are better able to perform investigations into past crimes, see patterns of fraud and take preventive measures.

This summer, Aspen Tech Policy Hub fellows Ginny Fahs, Steven Buccini, Anil Dewan and Ora Tanner researched this critical issue. They found that existing government reporting systems are too complex for older adults, their families and even professionals focused on elder services and elder fraud prevention.

The fellows published recommendations that federal agencies centralize and redesign reporting systems. They also built and tested a working prototype of a new reporting form, and shared these materials with relevant nonprofits and government agencies.

To see the full press release, see: Aspen Tech Policy Hub Teams up with Cybercrime Support Network to Centralize Online Crime and Fraud Reporting.