FTC Data Show People Reported Losing $3.5 Billion to Imposter Scams in 2025

New data from the Federal Trade Commission reveal that people reported losing a staggering $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, with reported losses increasing nearly three times since 2020.

FTC data also show that people reported imposter scams more than any other fraud category in 2025-nearly one in three fraud reports were about imposter scams. These scams lured consumers through text, phone, email, social media, search engine results and other means. Some of the costliest impersonation scams start with a fake security alert, often from a bank. People are convinced to move money to "protect" it, with their losses often limited only by their available funds.

Last year, people reported losing nearly $1 billion to business impersonators with the highest reported losses to bank impersonators-and about $920 million to government impersonators, up from $866 million and $789 million respectively in 2024.

The FTC has seen a striking increase in reported fraud losses to all types of fraud-about $16 billion was reported lost in 2025, the highest on record and an increase of about 25% compared to the 2024 figure.

"Consumers derive enormous benefits from competitive markets built on truthful information. But fraud undermines that foundation, impeding the market process and preventing markets from operating efficiently," said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. "The FTC will use every tool available to combat one of the most pernicious forms of fraud-government and business impersonation-and to protect the integrity of the digital economy."

The data underscore the importance of the FTC's work with the Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC), which is working to help raise awareness of imposter scams and other scams impacting older adults as well as other consumers. This year, the FTC, along with the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services and members of the EJCC, is leading the Never Ever campaign, a public-private coordinated consumer education effort to raise awareness of government and business imposter scams.

In addition to the federal agency members of the EJCC, the campaign also includes private sector representatives such as the American Bankers Association, USTelecom, Google and Microsoft.

To help the public spot imposter scams, EJCC members launched the Never Ever campaign, which is aimed at promoting messaging on the key actions that government and businesses will Never Ever take. The Never Ever campaign will run from June 15 to June 26, in conjunction with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. This first-of-its-kind public-private partnership includes participants from a wide range of organizations and is aimed at directing consumers to a website that includes information and resources to help them avoid imposter scams and what to do if they spot one.

To help combat impersonation scams, the FTC in 2024 finalized the Impersonation Rule. The Rule gives the agency stronger tools to combat and deter scammers who impersonate government agencies and businesses, enabling the FTC to file federal court cases seeking to get money back to injured consumers and civil penalties against rule violators. Since then, the FTC has vigorously enforced the rule and brought a dozen enforcement actions that have resulted in halting imposter schemes and obtained over $70 million in redress for consumers.

In 2025, the FTC brought law enforcement actions under the Impersonation Rule against: American Tax Service (IRS imposter scheme); MediaAlpha (government imposter scheme to sell health insurance); Click Profit (business imposter money making scam); Blackstone Legal (phantom debt business imposter scheme) and Accelerated Debt Settlement (government and business imposter scheme that targeted older adults for debt relief).

More recently, the FTC filed a complaint against Innovative Partners in April 2026, alleging the operators impersonate the government and large insurance carriers to deceive consumers seeking health insurance into buying supposedly comprehensive PPO plans that do not offer the coverage they seek.

Consumers who are targeted by a government impersonation scam should report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. More data about government impersonation scams are available on the FTC's data dashboards.