Key Takeaways

The FBI said IC3 received 859,532 complaints in 2024 with losses exceeding $16.6 billion.
In the new 2025 IC3 report, complaints rose to 1,008,597, and reported losses climbed past $20 billion.
The FBI said the top three cybercrimes by complaint volume in 2024 were phishing/spoofing, extortion, and personal data breaches.
In 2025, the FBI said investment-related fraud was again the largest component of reported losses.
The FBI’s 2025 release said Americans over 60 reported approximately $7.7 billion in losses, up 37% from 2024.
Verizon’s 2025 DBIR analyzed 22,052 incidents and 12,195 confirmed breaches, showing that cybercrime and breach activity remain large-scale and persistent.

CORE STATISTICS

859,532 IC3 complaints in 2024.
More than $16.6 billion in IC3-reported losses in 2024.
1,008,597 IC3 complaints in 2025.
More than $20 billion in IC3-reported losses in 2025.
In 2024, the top complaint categories were phishing/spoofing, extortion, and personal data breaches.
In 2024, victims of investment fraud involving cryptocurrency reported over $6.5 billion in losses.
In 2025, cryptocurrency-related losses reached roughly $5.62 billion in the IC3 report’s descriptor data.
In 2025, AI-related complaints in IC3’s descriptor data totaled 3,143, with about $352.5 million in losses.
Verizon’s 2025 DBIR analyzed 22,052 incidents and 12,195 confirmed breaches.

TRENDS & INSIGHTS

The biggest cybercrime trend is continued growth in both reported complaints and reported losses. The FBI’s 2024 and 2025 figures show the problem is not flattening out. Complaint volume increased, and reported losses moved from the mid-$16 billion range in 2024 to above $20 billion in 2025.

Another clear trend is that high-dollar cybercrime is increasingly tied to investment fraud, cryptocurrency, and sophisticated impersonation or confidence-building tactics. The FBI repeatedly highlights investment-related fraud as one of the costliest areas.

The data also shows cybercrime is no longer neatly separated into “technical” and “non-technical” threats. Complaint leaders such as phishing/spoofing and personal data breaches often involve both social engineering and digital compromise. That is an inference supported by the FBI category mix and Verizon’s findings on human involvement and stolen credentials.

REAL-WORLD CONTEXT

For consumers, cybercrime statistics are not just about large corporations or nation-state attacks. These numbers include everyday harms such as hacked accounts, spoofed messages, fraudulent charges, extortion, personal data breaches, and investment scams. The FBI’s complaint categories make that clear.

For adults 45–75, the practical takeaway is that cybercrime increasingly targets routine behavior: checking email, using online banking, receiving texts, managing investments, and trusting digital notifications. That is a reasoned conclusion from the complaint categories and loss patterns in the cited reports.

WHO IS MOST AT RISK

Adults over 60, who the FBI says had the highest losses in both the 2024 and 2025 reporting cycles.
People involved with online investing or cryptocurrency offers.
Consumers who fall for phishing/spoofing or impersonation tactics.
People with weak account security, since breach and stolen-credential patterns remain common.

QUICK CHECKLIST (what this means)

Cybercrime complaints remain extremely high.
Reported financial losses are still climbing.
Phishing remains one of the biggest starting points.
Investment fraud remains one of the costliest outcomes.
Older adults remain disproportionately harmed.

HOW TO STAY PROTECTED

Be skeptical of investment opportunities, especially those involving crypto, pressure, or guaranteed-looking returns.
Verify security alerts, account notices, and payment requests independently.
Use unique passwords and enable MFA to reduce downstream harm from phishing and breaches.
Discuss current cybercrime tactics with older relatives, especially scam texts, fake support, and investment schemes.

CITABLE STATEMENTS

IC3 received 859,532 complaints in 2024 with losses of more than $16.6 billion.
IC3 received 1,008,597 complaints in 2025 and reported losses surpassed $20 billion.
The top 2024 cybercrime categories by complaint volume were phishing/spoofing, extortion, and personal data breaches.
Americans over 60 reported approximately $7.7 billion in losses in 2025.
Verizon’s 2025 DBIR analyzed 22,052 incidents and 12,195 confirmed breaches.

SOURCES

FBI, Internet Crime Report 2024 press release.
FBI IC3, 2025 Internet Crime Report.
Verizon, 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report.

Cybercrime Statistics / Report