Biggest Scams by Reported Financial Loss
$16.6B in reported losses in 2024 — here's where the money went
Source: FBI IC3 2024 Annual Report
Top 3 Scam Categories by Reported Loss (2024)
In 2024, the three most expensive scams in the United States by reported losses to the FBI were:
- 1$6.57BInvestment & Cryptocurrency Fraud~$139,600 avg per victim (crypto investment subset)
- 2$2.77BBusiness Email Compromise (BEC)~$129,200 avg per victim (BEC complaints)
- 3Tech Support Fraud$1.46B
These three categories alone account for over 65% of all reported losses. Per-victim averages calculated from IC3 2024 complaint counts and reported loss totals. Overall average across all IC3 complaints with loss: $19 372 per complaint.
Cryptocurrency Scams
Fake crypto platforms, pig butchering, and Bitcoin payment demands.
$6.6B
39.6% of reported total
Payment & BEC Scams
Business Email Compromise, Zelle, Venmo, gift cards, wire transfers, and fake checks.
$2.8B
16.7% of reported total
Tech Support Scams
Fake Microsoft, Norton, and Geek Squad support calls for remote access.
$1.5B
8.8% of reported total
Personal Data Breach
Your personal data leaked or stolen, leading to identity theft and financial loss.
$1.5B
8.8% of reported total
Online Purchase Scams
Fake online stores, non-delivery fraud, and counterfeit goods.
$785.4M
4.7% of reported total
Romance Scams
Fake online relationships designed to manipulate victims into sending money.
$672.0M
4.0% of reported total
Government Impersonation
Criminals posing as IRS, Social Security, or law enforcement.
$405.6M
2.4% of reported total
Corporate Data Breach
Business systems compromised, exposing customer and employee data.
$364.9M
2.2% of reported total
Job & Employment Scams
Fake job offers, check scams, task fraud, and money mule recruitment.
$264.2M
1.6% of reported total
Crypto ATM & Kiosk Scams
Scammers direct victims to Bitcoin ATMs to make untraceable payments.
$246.7M
1.5% of reported total
Gold Courier Scams
Scammers convince victims to buy gold bars and hand them to fake couriers.
$219.0M
1.3% of reported total
Identity Theft
Someone uses your personal information to commit fraud in your name.
$174.4M
1.1% of reported total
Rental Scams
Fake apartment listings and vacation rental fraud stealing deposits.
$173.6M
1.0% of reported total
Extortion & Blackmail
Sextortion emails and fake blackmail threats demanding payment.
$143.2M
0.9% of reported total
Prize & Lottery Scams
Fake lottery winnings requiring fees to claim non-existent prizes.
$102.2M
0.6% of reported total
Financial Service Scams
Student loan forgiveness fraud, debt relief scams, fake financial services.
$102.1M
0.6% of reported total
Phishing & Smishing
Fake texts and emails to steal login credentials and payment info.
$70.0M
0.4% of reported total
What This Means for You
You invest in crypto or stocks
Investment fraud is the #1 loss category at $6.57B in reported losses. Pig butchering schemes — where scammers build trust over weeks before directing victims to fake trading platforms — account for the bulk.
Your move: Never invest through a platform someone sent you a link to. Verify any platform on SEC.gov or FINRA BrokerCheck before transferring funds.
You run or work in a business
BEC is the #2 loss category at $2.77B in reported losses — and it targets businesses specifically. Attackers compromise email accounts and intercept real invoice threads to redirect wire transfers.
Your move: Implement a mandatory phone callback for any bank detail change, enforce DMARC with p=reject, and require dual authorization on all wire transfers regardless of amount.
You're 60+ or have elderly family
Adults over 60 reported nearly $5 billion in losses in 2024 (IC3) — the highest of any age group. Tech support scams and romance fraud disproportionately target this demographic.
Your move: Share this page with elderly family members. Set up trusted contact alerts with their bank. Talk openly about scam tactics — shame and secrecy are the scammer's best tools, not yours.
You're looking for a job
Employment scams are the fastest growing category by complaint volume. Fake recruiters post attractive remote jobs, conduct text-based "interviews," then steal personal information or request payment for equipment.
Your move: No legitimate employer hires by text message, asks you to pay for equipment, or sends a check before your first day. Verify the company domain and the recruiter's LinkedIn profile independently.
Got a suspicious message? Check it against documented fraud patterns.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What scam caused the most financial loss in 2024?▼
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Explore Scam Data
📊 See which scam types have the most reported victims in 2024 — volume doesn't always correlate with financial damage.
🔥 Check the fastest growing scams in 2024 by complaint growth rate — emerging threats that are surging year over year.
👴 Adults over 60 reported the highest losses of any age group. See scams targeting seniors and elderly Americans for age-specific data and protective steps.
🔍 Not sure about a message you received? Use our free scam checker to verify if a message is a scam — with a pro-grade verification guide.
📚 Browse all documented fraud patterns in the scam database with red flags, examples, and reporting links.
73% of Americans report being targeted(Pew Research, 2025 survey)
|$470M reported in text-related fraud(FTC, 2024)
|$16.6B in total reported losses(FBI IC3, 2024)
Methodology
This ranking is based on reported loss totals by fraud category as published in the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2024 Annual Report. Categories reflect the IC3 classification taxonomy. Per-victim averages are calculated by dividing total reported losses by the number of complaints filed in each category where both figures are publicly available.
All figures represent self-reported data from complaints submitted to IC3 and do not capture unreported incidents. The IC3 received 859,532 total complaints in 2024, of which 256,256 involved a reported financial loss. Actual losses across all fraud types are estimated to be significantly higher.
This page compiles official FBI IC3 2024 reported loss data into a structured category ranking for public reference. For the original data, see the FBI IC3 2024 Annual Report.