Imposter scams cost Americans a staggering $3.5 billion in 2025, as reported by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Losses related to these schemes nearly tripled since 2020, marking a new record and establishing imposter fraud as the most reported scam category last year. Nearly one in three fraud reports received by the FTC involved impersonation tactics.
Fraudsters employ a range of channels—including texts, phone calls, emails, social media, and search engine results—to entrap victims. The most financially damaging scams often involve fake bank security alerts that trick individuals into transferring money to fraudulent accounts in an attempt to protect their assets. Business impersonators, primarily those posing as banks, accounted for nearly $1 billion in victim losses, while government impersonators caused approximately $920 million in damages.
Social media platforms emerged as the most lucrative vector for these scams, contributing over $2.1 billion in losses in 2025 alone. This figure represents an eightfold increase since 2020. Close to one-third of victims were first contacted through social platforms, with Facebook leading in total losses—surpassing those from text messages and email combined—followed by WhatsApp and Instagram. The FTC highlighted social media's growing role in enabling imposter fraud across the digital economy.
The FTC has increased enforcement efforts under its Impersonation Rule, which began in April 2024, targeting scammers who impersonate government officials and businesses. Since then, the agency secured over $70 million in consumer redress and halted several schemes. Last year’s enforcement actions included crackdowns on media companies and tax-related scammers exploiting government impersonation, as well as legal measures against firms involved in fake debt relief and fraudulent financial services.
Amid rising fraud activity, overall reported losses across all fraud categories reached about $16 billion in 2025—another record high and a quarter increase from the previous year. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2025 Internet Crime Report echoed these trends, warning that U.S. victims lost nearly $21 billion to cyber-enabled crime during the same period.