Teaming up to tackle cybercrime

Armed with a keyboard and the knowledge to do wrong, cybercriminals are finding new ways to rip people off every day, and Baltimore County’s top cop knows it can happen to anyone, anywhere at any given time.

“When you look at Baltimore County, there are so many vulnerabilities like our many defense contractors, military facilities, medical facilities, schools, universities and colleges, federal campuses, libraries and don’t forget our large senior population,” said Chief Robert McCullough.

To help combat cybercrime, the department is the first local agency in the region to join the FBI Cyber Task Force, which will help it track down suspects across jurisdictional lines.

Just how big of a problem is cyber crime?

Well, last year alone, the FBI reports that it received nearly 900 thousand complaints involving more than $12 billion in losses.

At the local level, the numbers are similarly disturbing.

“Looking at the impact for Baltimore County over the last four years, residents have reported about 17 hundred cyber-related crimes from scams to malware, ransomware, data breaches and more,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge William DelBagno.

The department has selected a pair of corporals to receive extensive training as cyber investigators who will be joining the federal task force to help track down criminals that may have eluded them before.