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Newly released data from the FBI shows Americans lost more than $20 billion to cryptocurrency and other online scams in 2025, marking a 26% increase compared with the previous year. Investment schemes accounted for the largest share of losses, with figures indicating that of the more than $20 billion total, $11.4 billion stemmed from cryptocurrency scams. The average individual loss was approximately $62,000.

"The scammers can impersonate other people to essentially push the victims in investing money in the assets or transferring the money into accounts that are meant to steal," said Rajiv Garg, an operations systems expert at Emory University's Goizueta Business School.

According to the report, financial losses linked to online fraud have risen steadily year over year. The total surpassed $20 billion in 2025, up from $16.6 billion in 2024 and $10.3 billion in 2023. Older Americans were disproportionately affected, with individuals aged 60 and above accounting for 20% of the more than one million complaints filed. That group alone reported losses totaling $7.7 billion.
"These scammers impersonate so effectively, so well, that they understand the person. They're able to answer questions and gauge them as a normal human would," said Garg.

FBI field offices across the country amplified the findings on social media. FBI Baltimore noted, "The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Report highlights the ever-evolving tactics of internet scammers. From fake social media profiles to voice cloning and AI-generated content, cyber criminals are evolving." Meanwhile, FBI Charlotte added, "The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report shows that Cyber-related crimes cost Americans nearly $21 billion in 2025. Last year, IC3 received more than 1 million complaints, with about 45% of those involving cyber-enabled fraud or scams, accounting for 85% of the reported losses."

For the first time, the report included a dedicated section on artificial intelligence, reflecting the growing role of the technology in online fraud. More than 22,000 complaints referenced AI-related scams, with reported losses totaling $893 million.
"Now you can essentially build AI bots, AI agents that can act as a virtual hacker to essentially interact with these victims," Garg said.