The Rising Toll of Cybercrime: How Americans Lost $21 Billion in 2025

Recent findings from the FBI indicate a significant increase in cybercrime in the US, resulting in losses amounting to nearly $21 billion in 2025. The most common method used by criminals to deceive victims was through investment scams, with cryptocurrency fraud causing the most substantial financial damage, as reported by Mactrast.

Notably, the report now includes insights into Artificial Intelligence (AI)-related scams. The FBI highlights the use of AI in forging documents, replicating voices, and producing deepfake videos, leading to fraudulent activities totaling over $893 million.

Insights from the Internet Crime Report 2025

The FBI’s Internet Crime Report 2025, released recently, unveiled a sharp uptick in cybercrimes. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recorded a total of 1,008,597 complaints, a substantial increase from the previous year’s 859,532. The most prevalent types of scams reported included extortion, investment schemes, and phishing/spoofing attempts. Of these, approximately 453,000 complaints were related to cyber-enabled fraud, resulting in losses exceeding $17.7 billion.

Investment scams, a longstanding method of financial deception, remained a popular choice among fraudsters, contributing to nearly 49% of all scam-related losses. Victims of cryptocurrency scams reported the highest financial impact, with 181,565 complaints amounting to over $11 billion in losses.

AI-driven fraud schemes continue to evolve, enabling perpetrators to create authentic-looking documents, mimic voices of acquaintances, and generate deepfake videos.

For the first time, the IC3 report for 2025 delves into AI-related scams, which accounted for 22,364 complaints, costing Americans almost $893 million.

Strategies to Safeguard Against Cyber Fraud

Criminals often employ tactics that instill a sense of urgency in their victims. With the aid of AI, fraudsters can fabricate convincing replicas of transaction records, bank statements, and other documents to coerce immediate action from their targets.

Common scams involve pressuring individuals to pay fines or taxes urgently to avoid severe consequences, such as immediate arrest. Other schemes include persuading victims to transfer funds to safeguard their bank accounts or convincing grandparents that their grandchildren require immediate financial assistance for various fabricated emergencies.

The FBI advises individuals to pause and assess any situation that presents itself as urgent. It’s crucial to resist impulsive decisions and carefully evaluate the circumstances before disclosing any financial or personal information.

If contacted by someone claiming to be from your bank’s fraud department, hang up immediately and verify their identity using the official contact number printed on your debit or credit card.

Given the ease with which email addresses, social media profiles, and phone calls can be spoofed, always confirm the identity of family members or friends through trusted means. Consider establishing a secure password that can be used by close contacts to verify their identity in case of a genuine emergency.

Seniors are frequently targeted by online scammers. It’s essential to educate older relatives and friends about common scams and emphasize the importance of verifying a caller’s identity before divulging any information.

For comprehensive information on various fraud categories, including adoption fraud, employment fraud, charity and disaster fraud, cryptocurrency investment fraud, sextortion, and ransomware, refer to the FBI’s official website.