Online scammers walked off with more than $20 billion of Americans’ money in 2025, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, setting a new single-year record for cyber-enabled fraud. The report tallied roughly one million complaints, with investment schemes and business email takeovers doing much of the financial damage. In response, local FBI field offices and consumer advocates are urging people to hang on to messages and transaction records and to report sketchy outreach as fast as possible.
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2025 report is out. In 2025, losses from cyber-enabled fraud surpassed the $20 billion mark. Investment-related fraud was again the largest component of these losses, followed by business email compromises and tech support scams. https://t.co/O3lBii65n7
— FBI Houston (@FBiHouston) April 6, 2026
IC3 numbers at a glance
In its latest annual snapshot, the Internet Crime Complaint Center reports logging 1,008,597 complaints in 2025, with a staggering $20.877 billion in reported losses. That is a 26 percent jump from the previous year. Investment-related scams led the pack with about $8.65 billion in losses, while business email compromise schemes accounted for roughly $3.05 billion and tech or customer support scams added another $2.13 billion. The report notes that cyber-enabled fraud made up nearly 85 percent of all reported dollar losses in 2025.
FBI field offices sounding the alarm
As the numbers went public, FBI field offices quickly began amplifying the warning. FBI Houston highlighted the topline figures and urged residents to submit tips through official channels. Agents are stressing that fast reporting can boost investigations and, in some cases, give authorities a shot at clawing back stolen funds. Community groups and financial institutions have also stepped up outreach to seniors and other vulnerable groups in response to the report.
Who’s getting hit hardest
According to the IC3 report, people 60 and older filed 201,266 complaints in 2025 and were linked to about $7.7 billion in reported losses. California, Texas and Florida again topped the list of states with the most complaints, with Texas alone recording 97,912. The report flags cryptocurrency as a major vehicle for theft, with more than $11.3 billion in losses tied to crypto. Together, those figures show how a casual click or quick reply online can snowball into serious financial fallout.
How to protect yourself
The usual security basics still go a long way. Independently verify any investment pitch, enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible, and do not move money to an unfamiliar wallet or third-party account. If you think you have been targeted, contact your bank immediately, keep copies of every message and transaction, and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The sooner cases are reported, the better the odds law enforcement has of spotting patterns and recovering at least some of the money.
