Crystal Lake residents have lost millions to cybercrime. Police are joining FBI task force to help fight it

The Crystal Lake Police Department is joining the FBI Chicago Field Office’s Cyber Crimes Task Force to crack down on cybercrimes in the area.

The Crystal Lake City Council last week approved a plan for the police department to add one detective part time to the task force for at least two years. There are no increased costs to the police department to participate, according to city documents. Being a part of the task force means increased access to federal resources, forensic technology and specialized expertise not readily available at local departments for crimes reported in Crystal Lake.

Under the FBI, the Internet Crimes Complaint Center and the National Threat Operations Center act as a centralized hub for reporting, collecting and managing cyber-related crimes across the country. A report made by the NTOC and IC3 found more than 400 reports were made and an estimated $44 million was lost from 2021 to 2024 in Crystal Lake because of cybercrimes. According to the report, such reports have been steadily increasing over the past four years, with common complaints being phishing, data breaches and extortion.

On a national level, IC3 ranks Illinois sixth in the country with the most complaints at more than 25,000 in 2024. Illinois comes in fifth in most money lost at more than $479 million last year. The trend continues with Illinois being among the top-10 states with the most complaints and money lost from cryptocurrency and from people older than 60.

“Cybercrimes are rampant across the country right now,” FBI Chicago Field Office Public Affairs Officer Gabrielle Szlenkier said.

Szlenkier said she hopes that the numbers reflect more people coming forward with reporting compared with other states. Cybercrimes are “vastly” underreported because there’s a stigma of shame for falling victim to the scams, she said. If victims come forward, the FBI supports victims with services and counselors.

The FBI is expanding its efforts to crack down on the crimes by partnering with local, state and federal police departments. The increased access to shared information and resources have allowed detectives to “follow digital breadcrumbs” quicker and more successfully, Szlenkier said.

“Sharing resources are really how we break cases,” she said.

Crystal Lake Police Department Investigations Commander Luke Behning found the opportunity to join the task force after graduating from the FBI National Academy last year.

“Maybe we can get closure to more of these. Maybe we can get some asset recovery for some of these people,” he said. “It might not be everything and it may not be every case, but it’s worth exploring.”

In Crystal Lake, Behning has been seeing the crimes becoming more intricate and resulting in more money lost in less time. So-called romance scams can bleed a victim dry of all of their savings over a course of months or years, while cryptocurrency scams can take tens of thousands of dollars in one phone call.

“Over the past 12 months, what we’re seeing is that the scammers are becoming more proficient at what they are doing,” he said.

In the past, he said, police were seeing people scammed out of a few thousand dollars at a time, whereas now, including common bitcoin scams, individuals have lost amounts closer to $20,000 or $30,000, he said.

Scammers also have gotten more sophisticated with legitimate-looking caller IDs and websites along with coercing the victim with fear and urgency, Behning said.

“As sad as it is, we’ve had people that show up in the lobby of the [police department] in tears realizing that they had just fallen victim to it, or we’ve had people come in being like, ‘Hey, this person is on the phone with me right now. What do I do?’ Hang up. It’s a scam,” he said.

On a national level, many victims are older than 60. Crystal Lake saw about 24% of its reports over the past four years targeting that age group. Behning said that anyone who uses technology can be susceptible to cyber crimes, particularly as technology becomes a bigger part of daily lives.

“The prevalence of these scams in just how intricate they are. I don’t see it going away,” he said.

The most-reported cybercrime is phishing or spoofing, where criminals pose as a business or an organization such as a bank, Szlenkier said. Extortion is also common, including “sextortion,” where criminals blackmail victims with sensitive information or photos.

“It happens with the elderly, and it happens with kids, too, which is horrifying,” she said.

Despite limited local resources, the Crystal Lake Police Department has been successful in making many victims whole. Last year, detectives were able to recover more than $90,000 for a victim who mailed a cashier’s check to California, Behning said. The department also has been able to retrieve checks stolen from the mail that were found on the dark web for sale.

Individuals, businesses and organizations can submit complaints to the Crystal Lake Police Department, online at ic3.gov or with the FBI Chicago Field Office.

“If you think you’re a victim of a scam and it’s ongoing or it just occurred – if it’s ongoing, take a deep breath,” Behning said. “Take a chance to think through what the person is asking you. Take a chance to maybe talk to a family member or call us. That’s what we’re here for.”