Online Scams Skyrocket: Americans Lose $150 Billion Annually

Online scams cost Americans an estimated $148.2 billion in 2025, a figure that has nearly tripled in four years. This substantial financial drain is largely driven by cryptocurrency-related fraud, which represented more than half of the losses reported to the FBI, totaling an estimated $80.7 billion. Scammers leverage crypto's irreversible nature and rapid fund transfer capabilities.

Investment fraud, compromised business emails, and tech support scams were other major categories of loss. The report also noted the emerging threat of AI-generated fraud, with estimated losses reaching $6.3 billion. Generative AI enables scammers to create convincing fake profiles, messages, and even cloned voices at scale, amplifying familiar scam tactics.

Individuals aged 60 and older sustained the most significant losses, reporting a 59% increase in financial damage compared to the previous year. The average loss for this demographic was $38,500. While younger individuals are not immune, with reported losses tripling among those under 20, older adults remain the most heavily impacted age group. Scam attempts are increasingly prevalent, with a majority of U.S. adults encountering them daily.