Rising social-media scam losses among U.S. consumers in 2025
Target Trend
Summary
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Social media scams drove a sharp rise in consumer losses in 2025, with reported losses reaching $2.1 billion and nearly 30% of scam-loss reports starting on these platforms. Facebook accounted for more reported losses than any other social network, while WhatsApp and Instagram trailed behind. The shift makes social platforms a dominant fraud contact channel and raises the risk of impersonation, account takeover, and ad-enabled targeting.
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Timeline
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27.04.2026 19:27 2 articles · 1mo ago
Rising social-media scam losses among U.S. consumers in 2025
Initial DisclosureThe trend became especially visible in **2025** as social platforms emerged as a leading scam contact channel, with **Facebook** producing the most reported losses. The channel mix varied by age, with people **80 and over** more often targeted by phone calls instead.
Show sources
- FTC: Americans lost over $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025 — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 27.04.2026 19:27
- FTC: Americans lost over $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025 — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 27.04.2026 19:27