Americans reported $15.9 billion in fraud losses to the FTC and $20.9 billion in internet crime losses to the FBI in 2025, with investment scams the costliest type at $7.9 billion (FTC) and $8.6 billion (FBI). Adults 60 and older reported $3.0 billion in losses to the FTC and $7.7 billion to the FBI, and social media was the costliest contact method at $2.1 billion.
Online Scam Statistics in America 2026
Online Scam Statistics in the US 2026 point in one direction: reported losses keep rising faster than reports. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) logged about 3 million fraud reports and $15.9 billion in losses for 2025, up from $12.5 billion in 2024. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 1,008,597 complaints and $20.877 billion in losses, its first year above one million complaints. Both agencies name investment scams as the costliest category, and both say real losses run far higher than what victims report.
This report covers FTC and FBI data side by side, because the two systems count different things and cannot be added together. It looks at loss totals, scam types, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, social media, victims by age, and payment methods. The FTC’s 2025 older-adult report came out on October 19, 2026, so the age data here are the newest available. Each table names its source and period.
Interesting Facts About Online Scams in the US 2026
| Fact | Data (2025 Unless Noted) |
|---|---|
| Fraud losses reported to the FTC | $15.9 billion (2024: $12.5 billion) |
| Cybercrime losses reported to the FBI | $20.877 billion (2024: $16.6 billion) |
| FBI complaints received | 1,008,597, about 3,000 a day |
| Costliest scam type (FTC) | Investment scams, $7.9 billion |
| Costliest scam type (FBI) | Investment fraud, $8.649 billion |
| Cryptocurrency-related losses (FBI) | $11.366 billion across 181,565 complaints |
| AI-facilitated fraud (FBI) | 22,364 complaints, $893 million |
| Social media scam losses (FTC) | $2.1 billion, an eightfold rise since 2020 |
| Losses reported by adults 60 and older | $3.0 billion (FTC); $7.748 billion (FBI) |
| Romance scam losses (FTC) | $1.48 billion, up 22% |
| Business email compromise (FBI) | $3.047 billion across 24,768 complaints |
The FTC and FBI figures describe different samples. The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network collects reports from consumers and partner agencies, and the FBI’s IC3 collects complaints from victims and their representatives. A victim may report to both, and neither agency captures every loss. The numbers show the scale of reported fraud and do not total all losses.
The facts also show how concentrated the damage is. Investment scams account for about half of FTC losses and 41% of FBI losses. Cryptocurrency appears in about 55% of FBI losses. A small group of large losses drives much of the total, as the FTC section below shows. That concentration matters for readers deciding where to focus prevention, since most victims lose small amounts and a few lose their savings.
Online Scam Losses Reported to the FTC in the US 2026
Fraud losses reported to the FTC, billions of dollars (scale: $15.9B = 40 blocks)
2023 █████████████████████████ $10.0B
2024 ███████████████████████████████ $12.5B
2025 ████████████████████████████████████████ $15.9B
| Metric | Value (Period) |
|---|---|
| Total reported fraud losses | $15.9 billion (2025); $12.5 billion (2024) |
| Year-over-year change | +27% (calculated) |
| Rise since 2020 | About 430% |
| Fraud reports | About 3 million (2024: 2.6 million) |
| Investment scam losses | $7.9 billion, nearly half of the total |
| Imposter scam reports and losses | Over 1 million reports, over $3.5 billion |
| Reporters who lost $100,000 or more | 3%, but $11 billion (about 69% of losses) |
| FTC estimate of total fraud cost | $261.5 billion (2025), up 33% |
| 2023 losses (calculated from 2024 growth) | About $10.0 billion |
Data source: Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Sentinel Network, testimony before the Joint Economic Committee (March 25, 2026), and Protecting Older Consumers 2025-2026 report (October 19, 2026), with the $261.5 billion estimate as reported by PPC Land.
Reported fraud losses reached $15.9 billion in 2025, 27% above 2024 and about 430% above 2020. Report counts rose more slowly, from 2.6 million to about 3 million, so each victim lost more on average. Imposter scams are the most reported type, with over 1 million reports, but investment scams cost the most at $7.9 billion, nearly half of all reported losses. The pattern has held since 2020.
A small share of victims account for most of the money. Only 3% of people who reported a loss said they lost $100,000 or more, yet those losses totaled $11 billion, about 69% of everything reported. The FTC also estimates that actual fraud costs reached $261.5 billion in 2025 once unreported cases are counted, a modeled figure and not a count. Reported losses understate the problem, since most victims never file a report.
FBI Internet Crime Losses by Year in the US 2026
FBI IC3 reported losses by year, billions of dollars
2021 █████████████ $6.9B
2022 ████████████████████ $10.3B
2023 ████████████████████████ $12.5B
2024 ████████████████████████████████ $16.6B
2025 ████████████████████████████████████████ $20.877B
| Year | Reported Losses |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $6.9 billion |
| 2022 | $10.3 billion |
| 2023 | $12.5 billion |
| 2024 | $16.6 billion |
| 2025 | $20.877 billion |
| Five-year total (2021 to 2025) | $71.3 billion |
| 2025 complaints | 1,008,597 (2024: about 859,000) |
| Cyber-enabled fraud complaints and losses | 452,868 and $17.7 billion (about 85% of losses) |
Data source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Internet Crime Report (April 2026).
Losses tripled in four years, from $6.9 billion in 2021 to $20.877 billion in 2025. The 2025 figure is 26% above 2024 and brings the five-year total to $71.3 billion. Complaints passed one million for the first time, up from about 859,000. The IC3 now averages nearly 3,000 complaints a day. Cyber-enabled fraud accounts for $17.7 billion, about 85% of reported losses, so scams drive the total more than ransomware or other intrusions do.
The IC3 notes that these figures cover reported complaints, not all cybercrime. Many victims never report, and some report to local police or the FTC instead. The trend still matters: losses grew 33% in 2024 and 26% in 2025. Complaints grew only about 17% in 2025, which points to larger average losses and fits the FTC’s finding that a small group of victims lose six figures.
Online Scam Types by Money Lost in the US 2026
FBI IC3 losses by crime type, 2025, billions of dollars
Investment fraud ████████████████████████████████████████ $8.65B
Business email compromise ██████████████ $3.05B
Tech and customer support ██████████ $2.13B
Personal data breach ██████ $1.3B
Romance scams ████ $0.93B
| Crime Type | Complaints | Reported Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Investment fraud | Not stated | $8.649 billion (about 41% of all losses) |
| Business email compromise | 24,768 | $3.047 billion |
| Tech and customer support fraud | Not stated | $2.135 billion |
| Personal data breach | Not stated | $1.3 billion |
| Romance scams | Not stated | $929 million |
| Phishing and spoofing | 191,561 | Most-reported type by count |
| Extortion | 89,129 | Second most reported by count |
| Cryptocurrency investment fraud | 61,559 | $7.2 billion |
Data source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Internet Crime Report (April 2026).
Complaint counts and losses rank scams differently. Phishing and spoofing lead by count with 191,561 complaints, and extortion follows with 89,129. Investment fraud ranks lower by count but first by money, at $8.649 billion, about 41% of all reported losses. Business email compromise follows at $3.047 billion from only 24,768 complaints, which means each case is large. The FBI says 86% of reported business email compromise transactions went by wire transfer or ACH.
Tech and customer support scams cost $2.135 billion, third overall. They typically start with a pop-up or call from someone posing as Microsoft or Apple support. Personal data breaches add $1.3 billion, and romance scams add $929 million in the FBI count. The FTC counts romance scams higher at $1.48 billion, because the two databases differ. The gap shows why this report keeps the two agencies’ totals separate.
Cryptocurrency & AI-Enabled Scam Statistics in the US 2026
Crypto and AI scam figures, FBI IC3, 2025, billions of dollars
Crypto-related complaints, losses ████████████████████████████████████████ $11.37B
Crypto investment fraud █████████████████████████ $7.2B
AI-facilitated complaints, losses ███ $0.89B
Assets frozen by FBI team ██ $0.68B
| Metric | Value (2025) |
|---|---|
| Cryptocurrency-related complaints | 181,565 |
| Cryptocurrency-related losses | $11.366 billion, about 55% of all losses (up 22%) |
| Cryptocurrency investment fraud | $7.2 billion across 61,559 complaints |
| Change in crypto investment complaints and losses | Complaints up 48%, losses up 25% |
| AI-facilitated fraud complaints | 22,364 |
| AI-facilitated fraud losses | About $893 million |
| Investment complaints with an AI nexus | Over $632 million in losses |
| Business email compromise with an AI nexus | Over $30 million in losses |
| Assets frozen by the FBI’s recovery team | $679 million |
Data source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Internet Crime Report (April 2026); American Bankers Association Banking Journal (April 7, 2026).
Cryptocurrency now runs through more than half of reported losses. Complaints that mention crypto totaled 181,565 and $11.366 billion, about 55% of the $20.877 billion overall. Crypto investment fraud, which includes the schemes called pig butchering and fake trading platforms, cost $7.2 billion across 61,559 complaints. Crypto payments are hard to reverse, so recovery odds are low. The FBI’s recovery team froze $679 million, a small share of what victims lost.
Artificial intelligence appears in the data for the first time. The IC3 added a section on AI-facilitated fraud in its 2025 report, covering 22,364 complaints and about $893 million in losses. Investment complaints with an AI link cost over $632 million, and business email compromise with an AI link cost over $30 million. These numbers rely on victims recognizing and reporting AI use, so they likely understate the real total. The category is new, so year-over-year comparisons are not yet possible.
Social Media Scam Statistics in the US 2026
Social media and romance scam figures, FTC, 2025, billions of dollars
Social media, all scam types ████████████████████████████████████████ $2.1B
Social media investment scams █████████████████████ $1.1B
Romance scams, all contact methods ████████████████████████████ $1.48B
Romance via bank transfer ████ $0.195B
Romance via crypto ███ $0.159B
| Metric | Value (2025) |
|---|---|
| Share of loss reporters who said the scam began on social media | Nearly 30% |
| Reported losses from scams that began on social media | $2.1 billion (an eightfold rise since 2020) |
| Social media investment scam losses | $1.1 billion, more than half of social media losses |
| Platform with the most reported losses | |
| Romance scam losses (all contact methods) | $1.48 billion, up 22% |
| Romance scam victims who said it began on social media | Nearly 60% |
| Romance losses paid by bank transfer | $195 million |
| Romance losses paid by cryptocurrency | $159 million |
| Age groups where social media costs the most | All groups under 80 |
Data source: Federal Trade Commission Data Spotlight on social media scams (April 27, 2026); FTC fraud data dashboard as reported by American Banker (October 2026).
Social media is the costliest way scammers reach victims. Nearly 30% of people who reported a loss said the scam began there, and the losses reached $2.1 billion, eight times the 2020 level. Investment scams drove $1.1 billion of that, more than half. People reported losing more money to scams that started on Facebook than on any other platform. Social media was the costliest contact method for every age group under 80, and for adults 80 and older it ranked second behind phone calls.
Romance scams show the same pattern. Consumers reported $1.48 billion in romance losses in 2025, up 22%, and nearly 60% of victims said the scam began on social media and not on a dating app. Among victims who named a payment method, bank transfers carried $195 million and cryptocurrency $159 million. A federal law signed in October 2026 requires dating apps to help block romance scams, but it does not cover social media platforms in general.
Online Scam Victims by Age in the US 2026
Fraud losses reported by adults 60 and older to the FTC, billions of dollars
2020 ████████ $0.6B
2024 ████████████████████████████████ $2.4B
2025 ████████████████████████████████████████ $3.0B
| Metric | Value (2025 Unless Noted) |
|---|---|
| Losses reported by adults 60 and older (FTC) | $3.0 billion (2024: $2.4 billion; 2020: $600 million) |
| Investment scam losses, adults 60 and older (FTC) | $1.059 billion, up 42% |
| Older reporters who lost $100,000 or more | 6%, yet $2.1 billion (about 70% of older-adult losses) |
| Median loss, adults 80 and older (FTC) | $2,000 |
| FTC estimate of older-adult fraud cost | Up to $119.5 billion (range $13.3 billion to $119.5 billion) |
| Losses reported by adults 60 and older (FBI) | $7.748 billion, up 59% |
| Tech support scam losses, seniors (FBI) | $1.040 billion |
| Share of reports that include an age | About 46% |
| Who loses money more often (FTC, 2024) | Adults 20 to 29 more often than adults 70 and older |
Data source: Federal Trade Commission, Protecting Older Consumers 2025-2026 (October 19, 2026); FBI IC3 2025 Internet Crime Report; Bitdefender summary of FTC 2024 data.
Older adults reported $3.0 billion to the FTC in 2025, five times the $600 million of 2020, and $7.748 billion to the FBI, up 59% from 2024. Investment scams cost adults 60 and older over $1.0 billion, up 42%. The totals come mostly from large losses: 6% of older reporters lost $100,000 or more, and those cases made up 70% of all older-adult losses. The FTC says older adults were nearly twice as likely as younger adults to report a six-figure loss.
Younger adults lose money more often, and older adults lose more when they do. The FTC found in 2024 that people aged 20 to 29 reported losing money more often than people 70 and older, but older victims lost far more per case. Only about 46% of 2025 fraud reports included an age, so every age breakdown rests on partial data. The FTC’s estimate that older-adult fraud could cost up to $119.5 billion is a model with a wide range, and the low end is $13.3 billion.
How Scam Victims Pay & Recovery Odds in the US 2026
Scam payment and recovery figures, 2025, billions of dollars
Bank transfers + crypto (FTC) ████████████████████████████████████ over $4.0B
Credit cards + payment apps ███████ $0.74B
Assets frozen by FBI team ███████ $0.68B
| Metric | Value (2025) |
|---|---|
| Losses paid by bank transfer or cryptocurrency (FTC) | Over $4.0 billion |
| Losses paid by credit card or payment app (FTC) | $736.9 million |
| Business email compromise paid by wire or ACH (FBI) | 86% |
| Assets frozen by the FBI’s Recovery Asset Team | $679 million |
| Refund rule for authorized transfers | Banks generally need not refund under Regulation E |
| Top contact method by number of reports (FTC) | Text messages |
| Top contact method by dollars lost (FTC) | Social media |
Data source: AARP analysis of FTC data (2026); Federal Bureau of Investigation, IC3 2025 report; American Banker (October 2026); FTC testimony, March 25, 2026.
How a victim pays decides whether the money comes back. Bank transfers and cryptocurrency carried over $4.0 billion of FTC-reported losses in 2025, far above the $736.9 million that went through credit cards and payment apps. Card payments allow disputes, while transfers and crypto usually do not. Banks generally do not have to refund a payment the victim authorized, even when a scammer tricked them, under Regulation E. That rule leaves most victims without recourse.
Recovery efforts help only at the margin. The FBI’s Recovery Asset Team froze $679 million, small against $20.877 billion in reported losses. Early reporting gives banks a chance to freeze funds. Text messages are the top contact method by report count, and social media leads by dollars lost, so a short message from an unknown sender is the most common first step. Reporting quickly to the bank, the FTC, and the IC3 raises the chance of recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions About Online Scam Statistics in the US 2026
How much money do Americans lose to online scams each year?
Americans reported $15.9 billion in fraud losses to the FTC and $20.877 billion in internet crime losses to the FBI for 2025. The two totals count different samples and cannot be added.
What is the most common type of online scam in the US?
Imposter scams are the most reported to the FTC, with over 1 million reports in 2025. Phishing and spoofing lead the FBI’s complaint count at 191,561.
What is the costliest online scam?
Investment scams. The FTC reported $7.9 billion in investment scam losses and the FBI reported $8.649 billion in investment fraud losses for 2025.
How much is lost to cryptocurrency scams?
The FBI recorded $11.366 billion in crypto-related losses across 181,565 complaints in 2025, up 22%. Crypto investment fraud alone cost $7.2 billion.
How much is lost to AI-enabled scams?
The FBI counted 22,364 AI-facilitated fraud complaints and about $893 million in losses in 2025, its first year tracking the category.
How much is lost to social media scams?
The FTC reported $2.1 billion in losses from scams that began on social media in 2025, an eightfold increase since 2020. Investment scams made up $1.1 billion.
How much do romance scams cost Americans?
The FTC reported $1.48 billion in romance scam losses in 2025, up 22%. The FBI counted $929 million in its own data.
How much do business email compromise scams cost?
$3.047 billion across 24,768 complaints in 2025, according to the FBI. About 86% of transactions went by wire transfer or ACH.
How much do older Americans lose to scams?
Adults 60 and older reported $3.0 billion to the FTC and $7.748 billion to the FBI in 2025. Both figures are record highs.
Who loses money to scams most often?
The FTC found in 2024 that adults 20 to 29 report losing money more often than adults 70 and older, but older adults lose more per case.
What payment method do scammers use most?
Bank transfers and cryptocurrency carried over $4.0 billion of FTC-reported losses in 2025. Credit cards and payment apps carried $736.9 million.
Can victims get their money back?
Rarely. Banks generally do not have to refund payments the victim authorized, and crypto is hard to reverse. The FBI’s recovery team froze $679 million in 2025.
How many internet crime complaints does the FBI receive?
1,008,597 complaints in 2025, about 3,000 a day. It was the first year above one million.
How can you report an online scam?
Report fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Contact your bank right away if you sent money.
Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.