A national snapshot from the Better Business Bureau points to a sharp increase in reported scams in 2025. The BBB's Scam Tracker logged about 146,000 reports, compared with 81,000 in 2024, according to CBS 58, which cited Lisa Schiller, a Wisconsin BBB representative, during a discussion of the trend in Milwaukee.
Losses Climb Even as Reports Multiply
The reported increase was accompanied by a higher median loss per scam. CBS 58 reported that the median loss rose 40%, from $93 to $130. The report also said BBB Scam Tracker information helped consumers avoid a combined $38.9 million in losses in 2025.
Not every scam carries the same risk. As noted by CBS 58, investment and cryptocurrency scams ranked as the riskiest scam types overall, with employment scams close behind and online purchase scams rounding out the top three.
Amazon, Target and PayPal Impersonated by Scammers
The report identified Amazon, Target and PayPal among the brands commonly impersonated by scammers. Using familiar names can make fraudulent messages or requests appear more credible to potential victims.
The pattern doesn't stop with one bad interaction, either. Per a report from CBS 58, most scam victims are targeted again after falling for an initial scam, and children are increasingly targeted by scammers online, a shift that puts a younger and more vulnerable population directly in the crosshairs.
Most People Still Don't Know How to Report a Scam
Only 8.1% of people surveyed knew how to report a scam, according to the same CBS 58 report. That figure highlights a gap in awareness, but it does not by itself establish how many scams go unreported nationwide.
Where Reports Go—and What the Numbers Show
Consumers can report scams and suspicious communications to the Federal Trade Commission, and USA.gov says they can also notify the Better Business Bureau, according to USA.gov. The Federal Trade Commission lists the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection as a contributor to its Consumer Sentinel Network. The FTC says that network combines complaints submitted directly to the agency with complaints shared by participating contributors, so its totals are not a complete census of fraud. The BBB's Scam Tracker figures and the FTC network therefore should not be assumed to measure exactly the same population, and the available report does not explain the formula behind the BBB's "riskiest" rankings.
Schiller appeared on CBS 58 on Monday, September 21, to discuss the findings. The BBB figures provide one view of reported scam activity; the broader consumer-complaint landscape includes other reporting systems and agencies, with different coverage and definitions.
