Fact-check · Oct 25, 2026
“Approximately $12,000,000,000 was scammed from Americans in 2025”
FALSE
What the record shows
FTC reported $15.9 billion in total fraud losses to Americans in 2025; FBI IC3 reported $20.877 billion in cyber-enabled crime losses.
Claim of $12 billion understates authoritative figures by $3.9-$8.9 billion. FTC and FBI both published higher 2025 fraud loss totals.
Sources
- FTC says Americans lost $15.9 billion to scams in 2025
- FTC: Americans lost $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025
- FTC warns of record $3.5 billion losses to imposter scams in 2025
- FTC estimates older Americans lost up to $119.5B to scams
- FTC Reports Imposter Scam Losses Hit $3.5 Billion in 2025 - MyChesCo
- Older Americans lost $3 billion to fraud in 2025, FTC tells Congress
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