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U.S. Cybercrime Losses Hit Record $21 Billion as Crypto Scams Soar, FBI Says

The FBI links the rise to organized cross-border scam networks that use AI to impersonate trusted people.

Overview

  • The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report, released Monday, logged $20.877 billion in losses across 1,008,597 complaints and noted that many victims never file a report.
  • Cryptocurrency-related fraud led all categories with $11.366 billion in losses from 181,565 cases, including $7.2 billion from long-run investment schemes that mimic real trading platforms.
  • The new AI section counted 22,364 complaints and about $893 million in losses, with tactics that included voice cloning, deepfake videos, forged IDs, and fake social profiles to pressure payments.
  • People 60 and older reported the heaviest losses at $7.7 billion, and seniors also absorbed most crypto ATM and kiosk losses, where scammers direct victims to scan QR codes and feed cash into machines.
  • The bureau says many schemes are run by organized groups in Southeast Asia, and it highlighted stepped-up responses including Operation Level Up notifications that saved an estimated $225.8 million in 2025 and Financial Fraud Kill Chain actions that froze $679 million.