Public radio from Western Michigan University 102.1 NPR News | 89.9 Classical WMUK
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Cybercrime Hotline Launches In Kent County

Mark Lennihan
/
AP Photo

Kent County residents can now dial 2-1-1 to report and get resources to recover from cybercrime.

The Heart of West Michigan United Way and Cybercrime Support Network launched the new hotline Tuesday. It’s the first in Michigan, but more could be on the way. The plan is to expand the program to about a dozen other counties by the end of next year. Detective First Lieutenant James Ellis is with the Michigan State Police Cyber Command Center and Computer Crimes Unit. He says cyber crime is a growing problem in Michigan.

“Our devices we own and we carry and the services we use are almost all online now. And with the introduction of the Internet of Things over the last couple years it’s even going to more prevalent," he said.

The crimes include identity theft, financial fraud, cyberstalking, and cyberbullying.