Fraud Reports 12-29-25

Fraud attempts are extremely common, with millions reported annually in the U.S.; the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received around 2.6 million fraud reports in 2024, with losses exceeding $12.7 billion, mostly from imposter scams and investment scams, while the FBI's IC3 reported over 1.1 million complaints for 2024 in areas like phishing, ransomware, and identity theft. Specific numbers vary by source and year, but trends show high volumes, particularly with mobile-based fraud and identity theft.  

Key Figures (2024/2025 Data):

FTC Reports: About 2.6 million fraud reports received in 2024, with $12.7 billion in reported losses.

FTC Identity Theft: Over 1.1 million identity theft reports in 2024.

FBI IC3: Received 1,135,291 complaints in 2024, with phishing and investment scams being major categories. 

Common Types of Fraud:

Imposter Scams: Scammers pretending to be from a government agency, known company, or family member.

Investment Scams: Including cryptocurrency and other fake opportunities, causing significant losses.

Phishing/Spoofing: Emails, texts, or calls designed to trick you into giving up personal info.

Identity Theft: Using your personal details for financial gain. 

Where to Find More Data:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for consumer fraud and identity theft reports.

Federal Trade Commission (.gov) for deeper analysis.

Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) (.gov) for internet-specific crimes. 

In 2024, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received approximately 2.6 million consumer fraud reports. This total remained nearly stable compared to 2023, though financial losses from these reports increased by 23% to a record $12.7 billion. 

Reported Fraud Attempts (2024–2025)

Total Consumer Fraud (2024): 2,626,600 complaints were logged by the FTC and affiliate agencies, a 0.1% increase from the previous year.

Identity Theft (2024): More than 1.1 million reports were filed, an increase of approximately 9.5% from 2023.

Identity Theft (2025 H1): In the first half of 2025, the FTC received 748,555 reports of identity theft, putting the year on pace to break records.

United Kingdom (2025 H1): Over 2 million fraud cases were reported in the first half of 2025 alone, a 17% increase year-over-year. 

Most Commonly Reported Categories (2024)

According to the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network, the most frequent categories of reported fraud were:

Imposter Scams: 847,000+ reports.

Online Shopping: 386,000+ reports.

Credit Card Identity Theft: 449,000+ reports.

Job and Employment Agency Scams: Reports in this category tripled between 2020 and 2024. 

Digital and AI Trends

AI-Driven Attempts: AI now accounts for an estimated 42.5% of all detected fraud attempts in the financial and payments sector as of late 2024.

Global Digital Fraud: Suspected digital fraud attempts originating from the U.S. rose 122% between 2019 and 2022, though the rate of attempts relative to total transactions can fluctuate by industry.

Success Rates: While millions of attempts are reported, many more likely go unrecorded; studies suggest only about 14% of fraud cases in some regions are ever reported to authorities. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+fraud+attempts+were+reported

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader