AI-enabled fraud – New reports reveal online scam losses reached $148.2 billion in 2025, with AI-driven fraud accounting for $6.3 billion of that total.
The message arrives on a smartphone or computer. perfectly mimicking the voice of a loved one or the branding of a trusted business. It is urgent, it is convincing, and for an increasing number of Americans, it is a financial trap. Last year. the total cost of online scams and crimes in the United States hit an estimated $148.2 billion. a staggering 25.8 percent increase over 2024.
This equates to roughly $1,009 per American household. While the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recorded $20.877 billion in losses across 1. 008. 597 complaints in 2025—up from 859. 532 complaints the previous year—consumer advocates argue the official numbers only scratch the surface. By applying federal survey findings that suggest only 14 percent of victims report financial fraud to law enforcement. the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) estimates the true economic toll is more than seven times higher than what the FBI tracks.
Driving this surge is the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence. For the first time in its nearly 25-year history. the FBI included AI as a distinct category in its annual report. recording 22. 364 complaints and $893 million in losses directly linked to AI-enabled schemes. The CFA estimates the broader economic impact of these specific AI-driven tactics at approximately $6.3 billion.
These tools have fundamentally changed the nature of criminal operations. Scammers. who once had to craft individual messages. can now use AI to generate convincing voices. deepfake videos. and tailored messages at scale. These technologies are increasingly woven into business email compromises, romance scams, employment fraud, and investment schemes. Investment fraud remains the most damaging category. driving nearly 49 percent of all scam-related losses. while cryptocurrency-related complaints accounted for more than $11 billion in damage across 181. 565 individual reports.
“This update shows that the troubling trend of rapidly increasing scam losses continues while tech companies are too often allowed to avoid accountability,” said Ben Winters, the CFA’s director of AI and privacy.
The human cost is particularly steep for older Americans. who reported $7.7 billion in losses in 2025—a 37 percent increase from the previous year. While this group filed 201. 266 of the year’s total complaints. the CFA notes that older adults account for roughly 60 percent of all reported losses. Conversely, reported losses among those under 20 rose 198 percent, albeit from a much lower starting point.
In response to the growing crisis. the United to Stop Online Scams coalition organized a National Day of Action on September 30. The coalition, representing more than 35 advocacy groups, sought to shift the conversation toward corporate responsibility. Events held in cities including Detroit. Charlotte. Denver. and Pittsburgh focused on reducing the stigma surrounding victimization and demanding legislative action.
In Detroit. Ebony White. director of economic security and social safety net initiatives for the National Council on Aging. opened local gatherings. while in Madison. Wisconsin. state Sen. Kelda Roys addressed potential state-level legislative remedies. The campaign included a public service announcement created with the Motion Picture and Television Fund and a livestream featuring Sen. Mark Kelly and Rep. Val Foushee. As the landscape of fraud evolves. the message from the FBI remains a foundational piece of advice: take a beat and resist the pressure to act quickly before handing over money or personal information.
online scams AI fraud FBI internet crime report financial security Consumer Federation of America cybercrime