Last updated: 16 October 2026 How much money do Americans lose to investment scams, and who loses most? The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center published its 2025 report in April 2026. We pulled the investment fraud figures and the full crime-type tables for 2023 to 2025.
Victims reported $8.65 billion lost to investment fraud in 2025, the largest of any crime type the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) tracks and 41% of all $20.877 billion in reported losses.
Investment fraud losses have nearly doubled in two years, from $4.57 billion in 2023 to $6.57 billion in 2024 and $8.65 billion in 2025. Complaints rose from 39,570 to 72,984.
Cryptocurrency investment scams alone accounted for $7.2 billion in reported losses, from 61,559 complaints. The FBI says they are largely run by organised groups based in Southeast Asia that pose as trading insiders and show victims fake profits.
Older Americans lose the most. People aged 60 and over reported $3.52 billion in investment fraud losses, and $2.76 billion of crypto investment fraud alone, about $201,967 per complaint.
The 10 costliest internet crimes reported in 2025
| Crime type | Losses 2025 | Complaints 2025 | Average loss per complaint | Losses 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investment | $8.65 billion | 72,984 | $118,500 | $4.57 billion |
| BEC | $3.05 billion | 24,768 | $123,005 | $2.95 billion |
| Tech/Customer Support | $2.13 billion | 47,794 | $44,664 | $925 million |
| Personal Data Breach | $1.31 billion | 67,456 | $19,493 | $744 million |
| Confidence/Romance | $929 million | 23,159 | $40,126 | $653 million |
| Government Impersonation | $798 million | 32,424 | $24,610 | $394 million |
| Other | $512 million | 20,031 | $25,568 | $240 million |
| Non-Payment/Non-Delivery | $503 million | 56,478 | $8,913 | $310 million |
| Data Breach | $435 million | 3,963 | $109,826 | $534 million |
| Employment | $363 million | 24,688 | $14,701 | $70 million |
The average is reported losses divided by complaints for that type; many complaints report no loss, so typical losses per victim are higher.
Investment fraud, 2023 to 2025
| Year | Complaints | Reported losses |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 72,984 | $8.65 billion |
| 2024 | 47,919 | $6.57 billion |
| 2023 | 39,570 | $4.57 billion |
Crypto investment fraud by age, 2025
| Age group | Complaints | Losses | Average per complaint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | 629 | $13 million | $20,005 |
| 20–29 | 4,627 | $117 million | $25,363 |
| 30–39 | 8,576 | $413 million | $48,114 |
| 40–49 | 10,750 | $925 million | $86,011 |
| 50–59 | 9,856 | $1.38 billion | $140,347 |
| 60+ | 13,685 | $2.76 billion | $201,967 |
How these scams overlap with trading
The FBI describes crypto investment scams that begin with a text, social media message, ad or dating app, move to a messaging platform, and introduce victims to “investment groups” offering trading guidance. Victims are shown fake profits on fake platforms, then charged “taxes and fees” when they try to withdraw. The IC3 report doesn’t break out prop firm-related complaints, and we have no data linking any firm named on this site to these figures. Signs to watch for include guaranteed returns, someone you met online steering you to a platform, pressure to deposit more to unlock a withdrawal, and requests to pay fees in crypto. Check that a firm’s website domain is the real one before paying; our email security scorecard and CFTC enforcement timeline have more on spotting impersonation and fraud cases.
If you’ve been targeted, report it at ic3.gov. For commodity and forex fraud you can also contact the CFTC.
Sources
- FBI IC3, 2025 Internet Crime Report (PDF, dated April 2026): highlights, three-year complaint and loss tables, cryptocurrency fraud trends and complainants 60+ sections. Downloaded 16 October 2026.
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Method
Figures are copied as published from the report’s tables. Average losses are our calculation (losses divided by complaints).
Investment fraud is the IC3’s crime type defined as a “deceptive practice that induces investors to make purchases based on false information”. Crypto investment fraud is a descriptor that overlaps with it, so the two figures shouldn’t be added together.
Caveats
These are complaints reported to the IC3, not all fraud. Many victims never report, and reported losses are not verified amounts.
A complaint can fall under more than one crime type or descriptor, so the categories overlap.
Rises from year to year partly reflect more people reporting, not only more crime.
How to cite this
Prop Data Lab, “FBI IC3 Investment Fraud 2025”, updated 16 October 2026, https://propdatalab.com/fbi-ic3-investment-fraud-2025/
The table and the CSV are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: copy, chart or republish them, commercial use included, as long as you link back to this page. Figures are from the FBI IC3 2025 Internet Crime Report (US government work).
Common questions
How much did Americans lose to investment fraud in 2025?
$8.65 billion ($8,648,617,756) in reported losses across 72,984 complaints to the FBI's IC3, the highest of any crime type.
How much was lost to crypto investment scams in 2025?
The IC3 recorded $7.228 billion in losses from 61,559 cryptocurrency investment fraud complaints in 2025, up 25% in losses from 2024.
What were total internet crime losses in 2025?
The IC3 received 1,008,597 complaints reporting $20.877 billion in losses in 2025, a 26% increase in losses from 2024.
Does the FBI track prop firm scams?
Not as a separate category. Fake trading platforms and investment groups fall under investment fraud and crypto investment fraud in IC3 data.