FTC: $2.1B Social Media Scam Losses in 2025

Americans lost $2.1 billion to scams that originated on social media platforms in 2025, according to a new report from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The figure represents an eightfold increase from 2020 levels and exceeds losses from any other contact method used by fraudsters, including text messages and email.

The FTC data shows that nearly 30 percent of consumers who reported financial losses indicated the scam began on a social media site. Facebook led with the highest reported losses, followed by WhatsApp and Instagram. Losses tied to Facebook scams alone surpassed those from all text and email scams combined.

Investment fraud accounted for the largest share of the financial damage, with $1.1 billion in reported losses, more than half the social media total. These schemes often started with advertisements or posts promising investment education, evolving into relationships where scammers posed as advisers or used WhatsApp and Facebook groups filled with fabricated testimonials to lure victims to fake platforms.

Shopping scams were the most frequently reported type, cited by more than 40 percent of victims. Consumers described purchasing items advertised online, such as...