Key Takeaways

Consumers reported losing more than $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, according to the FTC.
The FTC received 2.6 million fraud reports in 2024, while the broader Consumer Sentinel Network received 6.5 million total reports.
38% of people who reported fraud to the FTC said they lost money, up from 27% in 2023.
Investment scams caused the highest reported losses in 2024 at $5.7 billion.
Imposter scams caused $2.95 billion in reported losses in 2024.
Text-message scams caused $470 million in losses in 2024, around five times the 2020 level.
Pew found that 73% of U.S. adults say they have experienced at least one online scam or attack, and 21% say they have lost money because of one.

CORE STATISTICS

$12.5 billion in FTC-reported fraud losses in 2024.
2.6 million fraud reports were submitted to the FTC in 2024.
6.5 million total consumer reports were received by FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network in 2024.
38% of fraud reports involved money lost in 2024, compared with 27% in 2023.
$5.7 billion in investment-scam losses in 2024.
$2.95 billion in imposter-scam losses in 2024.
$789 million in losses were tied specifically to government imposter scams in 2024.
$470 million in losses came from scams that started with text messages in 2024.
73% of U.S. adults say they have experienced at least one kind of online scam or attack.
21% say they have lost money due to an online scam or attack.

TRENDS & INSIGHTS

The most important scam trend in the newest data is that scams are getting more effective. The total number of fraud reports in 2024 did not explode, but reported losses rose sharply, and the share of reports involving actual money lost also rose. That points to better scam execution, higher-value targets, or both.

Another key trend is the shift toward more convincing communication channels. Text scams have grown rapidly, and scammers increasingly use messages that look like package notices, toll alerts, fraud warnings, or account problems. This matters because these messages blend into normal digital life.

The data also suggests that scams are no longer easy to separate into neat categories. Imposter scams, phishing, investment fraud, and account-related fraud often overlap. A person may first be contacted by text, then by phone, then pressured into a payment method that is hard to reverse. That is an inference based on FTC category and payment data.

REAL-WORLD CONTEXT

For most consumers, scam statistics matter because they describe problems that show up in ordinary routines: answering calls, reading texts, checking email, buying online, and responding to account alerts. Pew’s findings show that scam exposure is a normal part of digital life for many Americans, while FTC data shows the financial stakes are large and growing.

For older and non-technical adults, the environment is especially difficult because many scams now imitate the exact channels people are told to use for convenience and safety: alerts, verification texts, customer-service calls, and financial notifications. That is a reasoned conclusion based on the overall research pattern.

WHO IS MOST AT RISK

People who react quickly to urgent requests involving money, account problems, or suspicious activity.
Consumers who trust caller ID, message appearance, or brand names without verifying independently. This is an inference supported by imposter and text-scam data.
Adults who manage finances online and use phones, email, and text heavily.
People unfamiliar with newer scam tactics such as package-delivery texts, toll-road texts, or fake fraud alerts.

QUICK CHECKLIST (what this means)

Scam losses are rising fast.
Text-message scams are now a major consumer threat.
Investment and imposter scams remain especially costly.
Most adults have already experienced at least one scam or attack.
Verification matters more than speed. This is an analytical conclusion based on the cited data.

HOW TO STAY PROTECTED

Pause before sending money or sharing personal information after an unexpected message.
Verify alerts, package notices, and account warnings through a contact method you look up yourself.
Be cautious with payment methods that are hard to reverse, including certain transfers and crypto. FTC reporting shows major losses are concentrated there.
Watch for patterns of urgency, secrecy, authority, and fear. These are common scam ingredients implied across the FTC’s top-loss categories.
Talk with older family members about current text, email, and phone scams. This is a practical inference from the prevalence and growth of these channels.

CITABLE STATEMENTS

Consumers reported more than $12.5 billion in fraud losses in 2024, according to the FTC.
Investment scams caused $5.7 billion in reported losses in 2024.
Imposter scams caused $2.95 billion in reported losses in 2024.
Consumers reported $470 million in losses from text-message scams in 2024.
73% of U.S. adults say they have experienced at least one online scam or attack.

SOURCES

FTC, New FTC Data Show a Big Jump in Reported Losses to Fraud to $12.5 Billion in 2024.
FTC, Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024.
FTC, New FTC Data Show Top Text Message Scams of 2024.
Pew Research Center, Online Scams and Attacks in America Today.

Scam Statistics / Report