Security News > 2020 > April > FBI Official: Number of Coronavirus Cyber Complaints on Rise
Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the pandemic, including hackers who target hospitals and medical research institutions that are studying the coronavirus, the head of the FBI's cyber division said Tuesday.
The FBI has received thousands of complaints regarding scams and frauds related to the virus, FBI Assistant Director Matt Gorham said in a statement responding to queries from The Associated Press.
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center has received more than 3,600 complaints regarding coronavirus scams, he said.
The Justice Department has made it a priority to go after a broad variety of crimes related to the coronavirus outbreak, including cyber crimes.
Aside from the coronavirus, the number of cyber threats remains concerning, Gorham said, particularly those involving the online theft of intellectual property, a crime that "Goes to the core of our economy."