Americans are losing staggering amounts of money to online crime, and getting scammed can mark the beginning of the trouble rather than the end. The FBI received 1,008,597 internet crime complaints in 2025, up from 859,532 the previous year. Reported losses climbed to nearly $21 billion, a 26% increase from 2024.
Cyber-enabled fraud alone generated about 453,000 complaints and $17.7 billion in reported losses. That category accounted for roughly 85% of the losses reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
The numbers are even more troubling because reported losses do not capture every victim. Many Americans never report scams to authorities, which means the true financial damage could be substantially higher.
Scammers Have More Ways Than Ever to Reach Americans
Nearly 30% of Americans who reported losing money to a scam said it began on social media. Social platforms were the costliest contact method by total reported losses for every age group under 80.
Investment scams caused the biggest losses among social media scams, reaching $1.1 billion. Shopping scams were reported more often, with many consumers paying for products that never showed up. FBI data show complaints involving cryptocurrency accounted for more than $11 billion in reported losses during 2025.
Investment fraud alone caused about $8.65 billion in cyber-enabled fraud losses. Criminals often spend weeks or months building trust before convincing victims to send increasingly large amounts of money. Artificial intelligence is giving scammers more tools to make those stories convincing. The FBI received more than 22,000 complaints involving AI in 2025, with reported losses totaling about $893 million.
Older Americans face particularly severe financial damage. People over 60 reported approximately $7.7 billion in losses to the FBI in 2025, representing a 37% increase from the previous year.
Losing the Money Can Be Only the First Blow
Getting money back can be brutally difficult, especially when a victim personally authorized the transaction after being deceived. Existing protections often work better when criminals steal money without the account holder’s permission.
That distinction can leave scam victims in a painful position. They may have been manipulated through a sophisticated fraud, yet the payment can still appear legitimate because they technically approved it.
Cryptocurrency makes recovery even harder. Digital assets can move through numerous wallets and across international borders quickly, leaving investigators with a difficult race to trace and freeze funds.
Victims then face another ugly risk called recovery fraud. Criminals approach people who have already lost money and claim they can retrieve the stolen funds for a fee. The FBI has specifically warned about scammers impersonating employees of its Internet Crime Complaint Center. These criminals claim they recovered stolen funds, then ask victims for money or sensitive financial information.
An Associated Press and NORC investigation found that U.S.-developed technology was being abused within parts of this global scam economy. The investigation examined software, internet infrastructure and other technology connected with scam compounds in Myanmar.
Americans Want Stronger Protection
This approach recognizes that consumer warnings alone cannot stop an industry built around professional manipulation.
Britain, for example, introduced stronger reimbursement protections for many victims tricked into making certain authorized payments. Other countries have also pushed banks, telecommunications companies and digital platforms toward greater responsibility for detecting and disrupting fraud.
Americans increasingly want stronger safeguards at home. Recent AARP research found that 97% of adults age 50 and older considered it important for banks and payment apps to stop suspicious payments so customers can receive warnings before money leaves.
The same share supported U.S. cooperation with international law enforcement against organized scam operations. AARP also found overwhelming support for requiring social media and telecommunications companies to do more against scam ads, calls and messages.
Some U.S. efforts are already producing results. The FBI’s Operation Level Up identifies people who appear to be actively caught in cryptocurrency investment scams and warns them before their losses grow.