Scams Are Booming. The Latest Numbers, And How To Protect Yourself
Key takeaways
- The Latest Numbers, And How To Protect Yourself According to the FTC, fraud losses hit $15.9 billion in 2025.
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- An imposter scam is a fraud in which fraudsters pretend to be a trusted entity, such as the IRS, a business, or a loved one, to steal money or personal information.
Taxes Editors' Pick Scams Are Booming. The Latest Numbers, And How To Protect Yourself According to the FTC, fraud losses hit $15.9 billion in 2025. Imposter scams led in sheer number of reports, but investment scams caused the steepest financial damage.By Kelly Phillips Erb,
--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Romance scams remain very popular.getty Every year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the agency tasked with protecting the public from deceptive or unfair business practices, receives millions of fraud reports from consumers. To help consumers identify potential scams, the agency then shares information about the top scams with the public. Their latest findings? Imposter scams ranked as the #1 scam for the ninth year in a row.
An imposter scam is a fraud in which fraudsters pretend to be a trusted entity, such as the IRS, a business, or a loved one, to steal money or personal information. The scamsters use high-pressure tactics, creating a sense of urgency to force potential victims to make payments, often via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. In 2025, the FTC received more than one million reports about imposter scams, with reported losses increasing by nearly 20% to $3.5 billion.