Oregon in the middle of the pack on cybercrimes

Cyber Monday is a big day for online retailers, but it’s also a time when cyber criminals are waiting to steal your identity.

According to a study done by Open VPN, 30,000 cybercrimes happened in Oregon last year.

The study also ranked Oregon 24th for cybercrime in the country. California, Nevada and Florida were ranked in the top five for cybercrimes.

In 2016, Oregonians reported losing more than $13 million to internet crimes. The study also found men and seniors were the most targeted group by cyber criminals in Oregon.

A cybercrime expert at the Bend Police Department told NewsChannel 21 on Wednesday that big retailers usually will have security protection to make sure you can, for example, see if they have a padlock icon on the browser.

Detective Tim Knea said people should be aware of suspicious emails that are asking for your credit card information.

Knea said consumers can always pick up the phone and call the company’s customer service line to double-check if the email is a scam.

He said most of these cybercrimes are done by scammers overseas.