With the development and growth of technology and having it be such a significant part of all of our daily lives no one is safe from the potential of being a victim of some type of cybercrime.

With this new area of need the Hiawatha Police Department is now a member agency of the NW3C, the National White Collar Crime Center. The National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting law enforcement in the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of economic and high-tech crimes. While NW3C has no investigative authority itself, the mission of NW3C is to provide training, investigative support and research to agencies and entities involved in the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of economic and high-tech crime.

NW3C currently works with over 4,000 member agencies across the globe, including state, local, federal, international and tribal law enforcement.

NW3C has developed an on-line resource for potential victims or anyone who would like to know more. The link to this resource is www.victimvoice.org. The VOICE (Victims of Internet Crimes Empowered) website serves as a comprehensive, trustworthy source of information for victims of Internet-related crime and the public at large. Through this site, NW3C aims to not only improve outcomes for victims but also to prevent other Internet users from falling victim to cybercrime. This website provides you with resources, a guide to help you understand your situation and even report a complaint on a potential fraud or cybercrime attempt. Also remember to never give out your private information or financial information without being one hundred percent sure of who you are dealing with and if in doubt contact your local law enforcement prior to doing so.

Hiawatha Police Investigator

Michael Gruber