The most common online scams in 2026 are investment fraud, imposter scams, business email compromise, tech support fraud, and a fast-growing category of AI-generated scams — together accounting for the bulk of the record $20.877 billion the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) logged in losses for 2025, the first year its complaint volume has ever exceeded one million reports.
Why the Numbers Keep Climbing
2025 was the worst year on record for reported online fraud losses. IC3 received 1,008,597 complaints — nearly 3,000 per day — and total reported losses rose 26% year-over-year to $20.877 billion. The FTC’s separate Consumer Sentinel data tells a similar story: roughly $16 billion in reported losses, up about 25% from the year before. Adults 50 and older reported $4.3 billion in losses, nearly double the $2.3 billion reported by younger adults.
The 5 Scam Categories Costing the Most Money
1. Investment Fraud
Investment fraud, frequently tied to cryptocurrency, has been the highest-loss fraud category for four consecutive years. The FBI logged $8.648 billion in investment fraud losses in 2025 — more than double the next category — and the FTC separately reported $7.9 billion. Scammers typically approach through social media or dating apps, build trust over weeks, then direct victims to a fake trading platform or crypto wallet showing fabricated returns.
Red flag to watch for: Any “investment” that guarantees returns, pressures you to act quickly, or asks you to move funds through a cryptocurrency wallet or kiosk you don’t control.
2. Imposter Scams
Imposter scams — someone posing as a bank, government agency, or business — were the single most-reported fraud category in 2025, accounting for nearly one in three fraud reports and $3.5 billion in reported losses. Within this category, bank impersonation accounted for the highest losses, and government impersonation reached about $920 million, up from roughly $789 million the year before.
Red flag to watch for: Unsolicited contact from someone claiming to be your bank, the IRS, Social Security Administration, or a similar agency, especially if they ask you to move money or share a verification code.
3. Business Email Compromise (BEC)
BEC was the second-largest FBI-tracked loss category in 2025, at $3.047 billion. These scams typically involve a fraudulent email that appears to come from a company executive or vendor, requesting an urgent wire transfer or a change to payment details.
Red flag to watch for: An unexpected request to change payment details or wire funds, especially one marked “urgent” and sent outside normal business hours.
4. Tech Support Scams
Tech support scams were the third-largest FBI-tracked loss category in 2025. These typically start with a fake pop-up warning claiming your computer is infected, directing you to call a number where a “technician” requests remote access to your device or payment for unnecessary services.
Red flag to watch for: Any pop-up urging you to call a phone number immediately, or any unsolicited caller asking for remote access to your computer.
5. AI-Generated Scams
AI-driven fraud is the newest major category, with the FBI attributing $893 million in 2025 losses to scams using voice cloning and deepfakes — including “family member in distress” calls using a cloned voice, and fabricated video testimonials in investment scams. Older adults accounted for $352 million of these losses.
Red flag to watch for: A phone call from a “family member in distress” using a voice that sounds right but the situation feels off — hang up and call that person back directly on a known number.
Other Common Scam Types Worth Knowing
These categories don’t currently carry the same verified loss figures as the five above, but remain among the most frequently reported scam types:
- Romance scams — a scammer builds a relationship over weeks or months on a dating app or social media before requesting money for an emergency, travel costs, or an “investment opportunity.”
- Online shopping scams — fake storefronts, too-good-to-be-true prices, or sellers who take payment and never ship anything.
- Job and employment scams — fake job postings that require upfront payment for training or equipment, or that use the “job” to launder stolen funds through the victim’s own bank account.
Quick Reference: Scam Types by Financial Impact
| Category | 2025 Reported Losses | Primary Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Investment fraud | $8.648B (FBI) / $7.9B (FTC) | Social media, dating apps, fake trading platforms |
| Imposter scams | $3.5B (FTC) | Phone, text, email |
| Business email compromise | $3.047B (FBI) | |
| Tech support scams | 3rd-largest FBI category (no exact figure published) | Pop-ups, unsolicited calls |
| AI-generated scams | $893M (FBI) | Phone (voice cloning), video (deepfakes) |
What to Do If You’ve Been Scammed
Report the scam at reportfraud.ftc.gov and, for internet-based crimes, at ic3.gov. If the scam involved identity theft — a stolen Social Security number, opened accounts, or medical fraud — see our complete guide to identity theft prevention and recovery for the full reporting and recovery process.
Quick-Start Checklist
☐ Never send money or crypto to someone you haven’t met in person
☐ Hang up and call back on a known number if a “family member” calls in distress
☐ Verify payment-change requests from vendors or executives through a second channel
☐ Never grant remote computer access to an unsolicited caller
☐ Report any scam attempt at reportfraud.ftc.gov, even if you didn’t lose money
☐ Check in on older family members about these specific scam types
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common online scam right now?
By reported financial losses, investment fraud — frequently tied to cryptocurrency — has been the top category for four consecutive years. By number of reports, imposter scams are most common.
How much money did Americans lose to online scams in 2025?
The FBI’s IC3 reported $20.877 billion in losses across just over one million complaints; the FTC separately reported approximately $16 billion.
Are AI scams actually a real threat, or mostly hype?
They’re real and growing — the FBI attributed $893 million in 2025 losses specifically to AI-driven scams like voice cloning and deepfakes, a genuinely new category rather than a rebrand of older scams.
Can I get my money back after falling for a scam?
It depends heavily on the payment method. Credit card and payment-app transactions can sometimes be disputed with the provider; wire transfers and cryptocurrency payments are usually unrecoverable once sent.
Do older adults get scammed more than younger adults?
They report higher total losses in dollar terms, but younger adults report fraud frequently too, often through different scam types like job scams and social-media-based investment fraud.
Should I report a scam even if I didn’t lose money?
Yes. Reports to reportfraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov help identify patterns and new scam tactics even when no money changed hands, and can support investigations into repeat offenders.
What makes business email compromise different from a normal phishing email?
BEC scams are more targeted — they typically impersonate a specific executive or vendor a business already works with, rather than casting a wide net, which makes them harder to spot with generic phishing training.
Is it still worth worrying about “old-fashioned” scams like romance scams?
Yes. While this article’s verified loss figures focus on the largest tracked categories, romance scams remain a frequently reported and emotionally devastating scam type that shouldn’t be dismissed as outdated.
Recommended Next Reading
- Identity Theft: Complete Guide to Prevention and Recovery — what to do if a scam led to identity theft.
- 11 Warning Signs Your Identity Has Been Stolen — signs to watch for after any scam involving personal information.
- How to Remove Your Personal Information from the Internet — reduce the exposure scammers rely on to target you.