cybersecurity|cybersecurity statistics
Americans lose billions as tech becomes the scam gateway
The technology Americans rely on every day has turned into a multi-billion-dollar trap. Of the more than 3 million fraud reports logged by the FTC in 2025, 58% identified how the scammer made contact. Across those traced cases, digital channels — ranging from text messages to websites and apps — drained at least $5.75 billion from Americans in a single year. Scams have become a daily reality in the US, with a recent Surfshark survey showing that over half of respondents now dodge scam attempts on a daily basis.¹
Social media scams steal enough to make NYC subway rides free
FTC data reveals that social media has become the most financially destructive channel in a scammer's toolkit. In particular, scams starting on Facebook caused higher financial losses than those on any other social media platform.² In 2025 alone, social media scams drained at least $2.1 billion from victims — more than triple the losses from text message scams, despite texts being the most frequent contact method that year.
The FTC received 197,776 reports linked to social media last year, with 72% resulting in financial damage — that is almost 3 out of every 4 reports. Among the various scam types, the miscellaneous investments & investment advice category proved to be the most expensive. It accounted for over half (54%) of all category losses, costing Americans over $3 million every single day.
Online shopping was the most frequently reported type. With 64,994 filed reports, shopping scams made up roughly one-third of all fraud reports where the contact method was social media.
It may be hard to comprehend what losing $2.1 billion — or roughly $5.6 million every single day — means. To make the understanding clearer, this sum could be examined through a specific perspective — that of the NYC transit network. On the day of checking, the base fare was around $3.00. That means that a single day’s worth of stolen money could cover approximately 1.9 million individual subway rides — an amount that almost covers the entire average Sunday ridership.³ If we look at social media user loses to scammers over a full day — 24 hours — New York City subway could run its entire Sunday service for free.
Compared to 2024, financial losses from social media scams jumped 10%, adding an extra $195 million to the total. This rise in financial damage outpaced the 6% growth in reported cases.
Text message attacks against Americans nearly doubled last year
Text message scam attempts nearly doubled in 2025 compared to the previous year, jumping from 246,801 logged reports to 411,424. This surge made text messaging the most frequent contact method, outpacing email, which held the top spot in 2024.
Despite a higher frequency of attempts, total financial losses grew at a slower pace. Compared to 2024, losses increased by 36%, or roughly $170 million. Although only 9% of these reports — fewer than 1 in 10 — involved financial losses, the total still reached $639 million — that’s $1.8 million daily.
Investment-related scams caused the heaviest financial damage via text message, driving 42% of all losses linked to the channel. By report volume, however, government imposters were the top threat, representing more than a third of reported cases.
People can easily fall victim to text message scams in daily life. This often happens through fake delivery updates when waiting for a package, or urgent payment requests like parking fines or speeding tickets. Scammers heavily rely on these psychological triggers to succeed. Typically sent from unknown numbers, these texts contain links or urgent instructions. Never click on any links or reply, as responding alerts the scammer that your number is active. When you receive a suspicious message, simply delete it or enable spam filters on your device, which cross-reference incoming numbers against known scam and spam databases to block them automatically.
Email scammers steal enough to buy an apartment in New York every day
Email ranked as the second most frequent contact method for scammers in 2025, accounting for 361,081 reports to the FTC. These scams resulted in $569 million in financial losses or roughly $1.6 million every single day. However, much like text scams, most attempts failed to trick victims — only 14% of cases reported an actual financial loss. To put email scam losses in perspective, scammers steal enough to buy a prime New York apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood or Upper West Side every day.⁴
Compared to 2024, total financial losses from email scams increased by $67 million, or 13%, even though the number of reports decreased by 10,642 from the previous year's total of 371,723. This drop represents a 3% decrease in volume year-over-year.
Within the subcategories of scams where contact occurred through email, business imposters ranked as both the most common and the most financially damaging. This specific scam category generated a total of 125,241 reports — meaning 1 in 3 email scams were business imposters — and resulted in $174.7 million in total losses, accounting for nearly a third (31%) of total losses where the contact method was email.
To avoid becoming part of these statistics, before interacting with any email that lands in your inbox — such as clicking on links, downloading attachments, or simply replying — always check for suspicious elements. Be cautious if the sender is unknown or if their email address contains some inconsistencies, such as typos. In particular, pay close attention to links, as malicious URLs are often masked with link shorteners or appear unusually structured. Beyond technical tricks, watch out for content that relies on urgency, pressure, or threats, as well as emails using personal details (often sourced from data leaks) to sound persuasive. Moreover, be wary of requests to update account information or to provide sensitive data via external links. Ultimately, if you have any doubts, the safest action is to delete the email or verify its authenticity through a separate, trusted communication channel.
Scams that start on websites or apps rank among the most financially damaging
After social media scams, websites and apps ranked as the second most financially damaging scam contact method in 2025. This contact method resulted in over $1.1 billion in financial losses, or nearly $3.1 million each day. However, that does not mean every incident resulted in a loss — though according to the FTC, a clear majority (69%) of reports did indicate financial losses. Compared to 2024, financial losses grew by $140 million (a 14% increase), while the number of reports rose by 35,046 (a 19% increase).
To help visualize the scale of website and app scam losses, the stolen money is enough to buy peak-season roundtrip tickets ($1,136 each) from New York to Honolulu for nearly a million New Yorkers — giving 1 out of every 9 residents a free Hawaii vacation.⁶
Similar to social media, the most financially severe scam type for website or app scams was miscellaneous investments & investment advice, accounting for 43% of total losses linked to this channel. Romance scams followed in second place at 15%, and online shopping ranked third at 11%. Despite ranking third in losses, online shopping was by far the most frequent threat, generating 93,536 reports (42% of the channel's total).
Low-cost voice deepfakes make it easier than ever for scammers to sound convincing
Phone calls also remain a heavy hit for Americans, ranking as the third most frequently reported and third most financially damaging contact method in 2025. These scams resulted in $1.1 billion in financial losses or more than $3 million a day. Out of the 290,427 reports filed with the FTC last year, nearly 1 in 5 victims (19%) lost money to these schemes.
To visualize that scale: according to Census reporter data, Manhattan has about 1.4 million adult residents;⁷ with the average health insurance bill sitting at $1,022 a month⁸, that stolen $1.1 billion could cover 30 days of healthcare for over 1 million adults — wiping out health insurance costs for 4 in 5, or 78%, Manhattanites.
Compared to 2024, financial losses surged by 17% — draining an additional $160 million — while the number of reports grew by only 2%. Easy-to-use AI tools now make it cheap and simple to create convincing deepfakes, driving down the cost of fraud and helping scams scale faster. In fact, cloning a voice now costs as little as a penny to 20 cents a minute, depending on the platform.⁵
Within the scams where contact occurred via a phone call, government imposters ranked as both the most common and the most financially damaging. This scam type accounted for 108,529 reports (over 1 in 3 phone call scams) and drove $421.6 million in total losses, representing 38% of all financial damage originating from phone calls.
To defend against unwanted calls — whether from scammers or everyday telemarketers — prevention comes first. Tools are now available that cross-reference incoming numbers against databases in real time, blocking or flagging potential scam or spam callers. This empowers the recipient to decide whether to answer or simply ignore the call. If you do answer, never share your personal information. Scammers often impersonate business or government representatives and can sound remarkably convincing. If you receive a suspicious call, the best response is to hang up and contact the organization directly using a verified number (such as one from their official website) rather than relying on the incoming call. However, the safest approach is still to avoid answering calls from unknown numbers or to block them in advance, as offered by cybersecurity tools.
Online ads are a less frequent scam contact method, but among the riskiest for financial loss
Online ads or pop-ups were among the least frequent contact methods in 2025, with 47,522 reports logged. However, nearly 2 in 3 individuals who filed a report (64%) suffered a financial loss, resulting in $265 million in total losses or 726,027 each day. Compared to 2024, financial losses grew by 8%, while the number of reports rose by 13%.
Investment-related scams proved to be the most financially devastating threat for this contact method, accounting for $75.7 million (29%) of channel losses. Online shopping dominated volume with 16,697 reports (35% of all filings), while business imposters ranked second across both categories with 24% of total losses. Uniquely for this channel, tech support scams jumped into the top three, driving $48.2 million (18%) in financial harm.
Where online and phone fraud is heading next
Of all reports logged by the FTC with an identified contact method in 2025, 87% started online or over the phone. An analysis across these digital channels reveals which scams drain the most money and the ones that hit consumers most often. For almost every contact method, the numbers are on the rise.
When looking at financial impact, investment-related scams were by far the most devastating. These schemes accounted for the largest losses across four out of the six digital channels analyzed, hitting victims hardest through social media, websites and apps, text messages, and online ads or pop-ups. The total amount lost was over $2 billion. Business imposters were the primary driver of report volume, generating the highest number of report filings. However, online shopping scams took the top spot across three contact methods: websites or apps, social media, and online ads or pop-ups. Government imposters dominated two channels: text messages and phone calls.
Looking ahead, artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a powerful tool in digital fraud. Reports filed with the FBI in 2025 that cited AI-related information accounted for $893 million in total damages.⁹ According to a recent study by Surfshark, the United States was the most targeted country globally for deepfake-related scams, with financial losses reaching at least $644 million in 2025 alone.¹⁰ Furthermore, data from the AI Incidents and Hazards Monitor (AIM) — which analyzes over 150,000 news articles daily — reveals over 430 publicly recorded AI cases linked to fraud, 86 of which occurred in the US.¹¹ Notably, US incidents recorded through July 2026 have already exceeded the full-year 2025 count.
Methodology and sources
This study provides an overview of US consumer financial losses from digital fraud by analyzing 2025 FTC Consumer Sentinel Network data. The scope covers six contact methods — social media, websites or apps, email, online ads or pop-ups, text messages, and phone calls — focusing exclusively on digital channels. Channel breakdowns are subject to a data limitation: approximately 58% of FTC reports identify a contact method, while unclassified reports are omitted from totals.
To contextualize the financial impact, annual channel losses are converted into daily rates and benchmarked against typical New York City cost-of-living metrics, such as housing and public transit expenses. Case studies from the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker are incorporated to offer a closer look at real-life examples behind some of the scam types.
For the complete research material behind this study, click here.
