FTC warns Americans lost $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025

The Federal Trade Commission said Americans lost $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, a record total that shows fraud crews can still talk victims into moving money through familiar apps, fake alerts and trusted names.

The agency said imposter scams accounted for close to one in three fraud reports filed with the FTC last year. Reported losses rose almost threefold since 2020, as scammers used text messages, phone calls, email, search results and social media to pose as banks, government agencies and businesses.

Bank impersonation caused the largest business imposter losses. Scammers often sent fake security alerts, then convinced victims to transfer money to “protect” an account. Victims lost about $1 billion to business impersonators and about $920 million to government impersonators, according to the FTC.

Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, called government and business impersonation “one of the most pernicious forms of fraud,” and said the agency would pursue enforcement actions to protect consumers and the digital economy.

Social media produced the sharpest losses. The FTC linked more than $2.1 billion in 2025 losses to social platforms, eight times the 2020 figure. About one in three Americans who lost money to an imposter scam first heard from the scammer through social media.

Facebook led the social media losses and exceeded text and email combined, according to the FTC. WhatsApp ranked second, and Instagram ranked third. The pattern gives security teams and consumers a clear warning: scammers use the same discovery, messaging and ad tools that legitimate companies use to reach customers.

The affected platforms include social networks, messaging apps, email, phone systems and search engines. Attackers also exploit bank brands, tax agencies, debt relief firms, health insurance carriers and federal agency names. The victim sees a familiar logo or caller ID, then the attacker pushes for speed, secrecy and an irreversible payment.

The FTC's Impersonation Rule gave the agency clearer power to pursue companies and operators that impersonate government agencies or businesses. Since the rule took effect in April 2024, the FTC has brought 12 enforcement actions, secured more than $70 million in consumer redress and stopped several imposter schemes.

The agency cited actions against MediaAlpha, American Tax Service, Blackstone Legal, Click Profit and Accelerated Debt Settlement. In April 2026, the FTC also filed a complaint against Innovative Partners, accusing the company of impersonating the government and insurance carriers to sell fraudulent health plans.

The broader fraud picture also worsened. Consumers reported about $16 billion in fraud losses across all categories in 2025, the highest total the FTC has recorded and about 25% above the prior year. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center also reported that U.S. victims lost almost $21 billion to cyber-enabled crime in 2025.

For consumers, the best defense starts with delay. A bank, agency or legitimate business will not demand that you move money to a “safe” account, buy gift cards, send cryptocurrency or keep the conversation secret. Hang up, close the message, and contact the company through a number or website you already trust.

For businesses, the FTC numbers point to a brand abuse problem as much as a consumer education problem. Banks, insurers, tax firms and debt services should monitor fake domains, search ads, social media pages and messaging accounts that use their names. Customer support teams should publish clear fraud warnings and give customers a direct reporting path.

Security teams should also tune detection around payment redirection, account takeover and social engineering signals. A fraudster who impersonates a bank may start on Facebook, move to WhatsApp, then guide a victim through a wire transfer or crypto purchase. Controls that only watch email will miss much of that chain.

Victims can report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and file cybercrime complaints with the FBI IC3. Anyone who already sent money should contact the bank, payment app or exchange at once and ask whether staff can stop or reverse the transfer.