More than half of American consumers encountered scam attempts at least once per month in 2025, according to a study by F-Secure. The company’s Scam Intelligence & Impacts Report found that 56% of respondents reported experiencing scams, with 52% of those individuals losing money during an attack. The number of victims losing money due to scams more than doubled compared to the previous year, highlighting a sharp increase in financial losses.
Approximately 40 million Americans fell victim to scams in the past 12 months, while nearly 80 million had lost money to scams over the preceding five years, as reported in 2024. F-Secure noted that scammers are increasingly focusing on larger payouts, engaging in schemes such as fake invoice scams, investment fraud, and banking scams.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is identified as a key factor enabling scammers to improve their targeting and impersonation tactics, allowing them to execute attacks more rapidly. F-Secure reported instances where AI chatbots inadvertently provided scam-related information to users during heightened news cycles, such as flight cancellations.
The company expressed concern regarding the rise of fraudulent stores as more consumers rely on AI for online shopping. Scammers are leveraging AI to enhance the quality of their attacks, creating more persuasive scams that include personalized emails and synthetic voices. Despite the high level of confidence among consumers—69% believe they can spot a scam—43% of those individuals still fell victim to scams.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that losses due to scams originating on social media increased eightfold from 2020 to 2025. By 2025, 30% of scam victims indicated that their scams originated through social media. Younger consumers are noted to face the highest frequency of scam attempts, while older individuals tend to incur greater financial losses when targeted.
Data reflected a significant demand among consumers for increased protections from telecom providers, with 93% of respondents believing such measures should be available. Additionally, 82% stated that the availability of these protections could influence their choice of provider.
F-Secure’s President and CEO Timo Laaksonen emphasized the need for a shift towards resilience and trust in the digital experience, departing from traditional methods of protection. “As AI increasingly shapes both how decisions are made and how scams are carried out, it’s becoming harder for people to distinguish what’s real from what’s not,” Laaksonen stated.
