FBI says cyber fraud cost Americans $21B last year – what you need to know

The FBI says that a sharp rise in scams saw cybersecurity crime cost US victims a total of almost $21 billion last year. The most common example was investment scams, with cryptocurrency fraud responsible for the largest losses.

The report includes AI-related scams for the first time. The agency says that the use of voice cloning, forged documents, and deepfake videos were responsible for £893m in losses …

The figures were revealed in the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Report 2025, published this week.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 1,008,597 total complaints, an increase from 859,532 in 2024. Phishing/spoofing, extortion, and investment schemes were the most frequently reported complaints […] The IC3 received approximately 453,000 cyber-enabled fraud complaints, with reported losses exceeding $17.7 billion.

Investment fraud remains the primary driver, accounting for nearly 49% of all scam-related losses. Americans who submitted complaints involving cryptocurrency reported the highest losses, with 181,565 complaints totaling more than $11 billion.

An AI-powered fraud is a growing threat. It’s now relatively trivial for scammers to create realistic-sounding spoofs of the voice of a friend or family member, with deepfake videos also on the rise.

One of the FBI’s key messages is that scammers typically use tactics that create a sense of urgency. These include fake transaction receipts which need to be disputed within a very short time, bank accounts that need to be “protected” by transferring funds, fines that need to be paid immediately to avoid arrest, and supposed family members in need of immediate financial support in an emergency situation.

The agency says that it’s vital to “take a beat” when faced with a seemingly urgent situation.

Email addresses, social media profiles, phone calls, and video calls can all be spoofed these days. Always contact a family member or friend via a second messaging method, and it’s advisable to agree a password with partners and other family members that you will use in a genuine emergency.

If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from the fraud team of your bank or another card provider, always hang up and call them back on the phone number printed on the back of your card.

The FBI has more detailed information on 20 separate categories of fraud on its website. Seniors are statistically more likely to be victims of internet fraud, so it’s also worth taking the time to educate elders in your family.

Photo: FBI