2025 IC3 Annual Report (Internet Crime Report)
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Research, not advice. Part of the Bitcoin research archive (October 2026). Claims labelled unverified, contested or fringe are reported, not endorsed; statuses of bills and rules are as of the date checked. Government, court and patent records are public domain; the research notes are CC BY 4.0.
1 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
2 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
CONTENTS
A QUARTER-CENTURY OF CYBERCRIME REPORTING .......................................... 3
OUR ROLE IN COMBATING CYBERCRIME .......................................................... 5
IC3 COMPLAINTS IN 2025 ............................................................................... 6
CYBER-ENABLED FRAUD IN 2025 ..................................................................... 9
CYBER THREATS IN 2025............................................................................... 13
IC3 RECOVERY ASSET TEAM - FINANCIAL FRAUD KILL CHAIN ............................ 17
POSITIVE IMPACTS ....................................................................................... 19
INTERNATIONAL COMPLAINT COUNTRIES ...................................................... 24
THREE YEAR COMPLAINT COUNT COMPARISON ..................................................... 25
COMPLAINTS BY STATE ............................................................................................. 27
CRIME TYPES BY AGE GROUPS ................................................................................. 32
COMPLAINANTS 17 YEARS OLD OR YOUNGER ................................................. 34
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) USED IN CYBERCRIME ...................................... 39
IC3 ELDER FRAUD – COMPLAINTS FILED BY INDIVIDUALS 60+ ........................... 44
COMPLAINTS INVOLVING CRYPTOCURRENCY ................................................. 52
APPENDIX A: ABOUT IC3 ............................................................................................. 58
APPENDIX B: DEFINITIONS AND DESCRIPTORS ............................................................ 59
APPENDIX C: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT IC3 DATA........................................... 62
APPENDIX D: PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS PUBLISHED IN 2025 ........................ 63
APPENDIX E: INDUSTRY ALERTS PUBLISHED IN 2025 .................................................... 65
APPENDIX F: IC3 QR CODES ........................................................................................ 66
3 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
A Quarter-Century of Cybercrime Reporting
In 2025, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) celebrated its 25th anniversary as
the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime. This milestone signifies the FBI's
enduring commitment to fighting the ever-evolving cyber threat. Our success in protecting
individuals and organizations is driven by public participation and robust data analysis.
For the past quarter-century, IC3 has been the primary connection between the FBI and the
public for information related to cyber-enabled criminal activity. Since our founding,
reporting to IC3 has surged. We received a few thousand complaints per month in our early
days. We now average almost 3,000 complaints per day. IC3 produces annual reports (like
the one you are reading) based on the information we receive, publishes public awareness
campaigns, and provides industry alerts to the private sector. IC3 remains an essential
resource for our law enforcement colleagues in combating cyber-enabled crime.
In 2025, losses reported to IC3 continued to climb, surpassing the $20 billion mark.
Investment-related fraud was once again the largest component of these losses, followed
by business email compromises and tech support scams. The FBI continues to disrupt and
deter malicious cyber actors -- and shift the cost from victims to our adversaries. One
example was Operation Level Up, which countered crypto investment scams. This FBI-led
initiative has reduced potential losses by more than $500 million since 2024.
It has never been more important to be diligent with your cybersecurity, social media
footprint, and electronic interactions. Cyber threats and cyber-enabled crime will continue
to evolve as the world embraces emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. At
the time of publication, the FBI was engaged in Operation Winter Shield, which highlights
concrete steps for organizations to bolster their digital security. The FBI remains fully
committed to ensuring Americans’ safety online and reinforcing the recent Executive Order
targeting cybercrime, fraud, and foreign scam centers, to hold those accountable who
exploit the internet for nefarious purposes.
4 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
A Quarter-Century of Cybercrime Reporting, continued
1
1,008,597
Complaints by Year
791,790
303,809
288,012
231,493
49,711
2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 2025
2
Losses by Year $20.877 billion
$16.6 billion
$12.5 billion
$10.3 billion
$6.9 billion
$4.2 billion
$1.0 billion
$1.1 billion
$183 million
$17.8 million
2001 2005 2010 2015 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
1
Accessibility description: Chart describes the number of complaints filed with IC3.gov from 2001 – 2025.
2
Accessibility description: Chart describes the losses of complaints filed with IC3.gov from 2001 – 2025.
5 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Our Role in Combating Cybercrime 3
3
Accessibility description: Image contains icons with the core IC3 roles: Collection, Analysis, Referral and Enhancement, Coordination,
and Public Awareness. Each is listed in individual blocks as components of an ongoing process.
6 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
IC3 Complaints in 2025 4
4
Accessibility description: 2025 complaint highlights: 1,008,597 complaints; $20.877 billion in losses; 26% increase in losses from 2024;
$20,699 Average Loss. Chart shows number of complaints and losses by age group. Under 20: 31,254 complaints, $67.1 million in
losses; 20-29: 112,069 complaints, $563.1 million in losses; 30-39: 153,293 complaints, $1.7 billion in losses; 40-49: 167,066
complaints, $2.957 billion in losses; 50-59: 124,820 complaints, $3.7 billion in losses; 60+: 201,266 complaints, $7.7 billion in losses.
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
7 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
2025 Crime Types
By Complaint Count
Crime Type Complaints Crime Type Complaints
Phishing/Spoofing 191,561 Credit Card/Check Fraud 18,774
Extortion 89,129 Real Estate 12,368
Investment 72,984 Advanced Fee 7,762
Lottery/Sweepstakes/
Personal Data Breach 67,456 5,623
Inheritance
Non-Payment/
56,478 Threats of Violence 4,826
Non-Delivery
Tech/Customer
47,794 Data Breach 3,963
Support
Government
32,424 Ransomware 3,611
Impersonation
IPR/Copyright and
Identity Theft 31,675 2,386
Counterfeit
Business Email
24,768 Overpayment 2,194
Compromise
Employment 24,688 SIM Swap 971
Confidence/Romance 23,159 Malware 893
Harassment/Stalking 21,557 Botnet 715
Other 20,031 Charity 662
Descriptors
Cryptocurrency 181,565
AI Related 22,364
Crimes Against
7,239
Children
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
8 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
2025 Crime Types , continued
By Complaint Loss
Crime Type Loss Crime Type Loss
Lottery/Sweepstakes/
Investment $8,648,617,756 $194,147,851
Inheritance
Business Email
$3,046,598,558 Identity Theft $185,832,657
Compromise
Tech/Customer
$2,134,675,818 Advanced Fee $155,910,852
Support
Personal Data Breach $1,314,923,988 Extortion $122,499,133
Confidence/Romance $929,287,469 Ransomware $32,320,105
Government
$797,943,193 Harassment/Stalking $27,707,167
Impersonation
IPR/Copyright and
Other $512,146,819 $26,667,006
Counterfeit
Non-Payment/
$503,373,587 Overpayment $22,898,075
Non-Delivery
Data Breach $435,240,992 Malware $19,370,572
Employment $362,934,762 SIM Swap $17,366,758
Credit Card/Check
$282,670,235 Botnet $13,859,049
Fraud
Real Estate $275,110,419 Threats of Violence $9,509,532
Phishing/Spoofing $215,843,126 Charity $7,907,609
Descriptors
Cryptocurrency $11,366,669,732
AI Related $893,346,472
Crimes Against
$6,694,350
Children
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
9 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Cyber-Enabled Fraud in 2025 5
Cyber-enabled fraud includes complaints where
criminals use the Internet or other technology to 452,868 Complaints
commit fraudulent activities, often involving the
$17,697,074,980 Losses
theft of money, data, identities, or the creation of
counterfeit goods or services. Cyber-enabled 45% of 2025 Complaints
fraud is responsible for almost 85% of all losses 85% of 2025 Losses
reported to IC3 in 2025.
6
Age Ranges of Cyber-Enabled Fraud Reporting
No Age 16.4%
60+ 24.2%
50 - 59 13.1%
40 - 49 14.5%
30 - 39 14.3%
20 - 29 13.2%
20/Under 4.3%
7
Top 5 Cyber-Enabled Fraud Crime Types by Count
Extortion; 89,129
Investment; 72,984
Non-Payment/Non-Delivery; 56,478
Tech Support; 47,794
Government Impersonation; 32,424
Top 5 Cyber-Enabled Fraud Crime Types by Loss
Investment;
$8,648,617,756
BEC; $3,046,598,558
Tech Support; $2,134,675,818
Confidence/Romance; $929,287,469
Government Impersonation; $797,943,193
5
Cyber-enabled fraud complaint highlights: 452,868 complaints; $17.697 billion in losses; accounts for 45% of all 2025 complaints and
85% of all 2025 losses.
6
Accessibility description: Chart shows the counts of cyber-enabled crime complaints by reported age ranges.
7
Accessibility description: Chart shows the top five crime types for cyber-enabled fraud by count and loss.
10 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Top Reported Transaction Types in Fraud 8
Transaction information provided in IC3 complaints helps the FBI understand how victims
are losing funds to fraud and assists the IC3 Recovery Asset Team (RAT) Financial Fraud Kill
Chain (FFKC) process when complaints are filed as quickly as possible. These charts identify
the most frequent ways complainants reported financial losses from cyber-enabled fraud.
Cryptocurrency Wire Transfer/ACH Debit Card/Credit Card Peer-to-Peer Transfer
Prepaid card/Gift card Check/Cashier's Check Cash
Investment Business Email Compromise
19% 3%
4%
7%
2% 3%
2%
2%
86%
72%
Confidence/Romance Extortion
8% 6%
11%
15% 31% 28%
21% 27%
25% 28%
Tech/Customer Support Government Impersonation
11% 10%
12% 14%
43% 40%
14%
15%
20% 21%
8
Accessibility description: Chart depicts the top reported transaction types: Cryptocurrency, Wire Transfer/ACH, Debit/Credit Card,
Peer-to-Peer, Gift/Prepaid Card, Check/Cashier’s Check, and Cash.
11 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Cyber-Enabled Fraud Trends
Sextortion
Sextortion can start on any site, app, messaging platform, or game where people meet and
communicate. In some cases, the first contact from the criminal will be a threat - the
person may claim to already have a revealing picture or video of a child that will be shared
if the victim does not send more pictures. More often, however, this crime starts when
people believe they are communicating with someone their own age who is interested in a
relationship, or with someone who is offering something of value. After the criminals have
one or more videos or pictures, they threaten to publish that content, or they threaten
violence, to compel the victim to produce more images. The shame, fear, and confusion
people feel when they are caught in this cycle often prevent them from asking for help or
reporting the abuse. The public should understand how sextortion occurs and openly
discuss online safety.
In 2025, IC3 received more than 75,000 submissions regarding sextortion. When
appropriate, IC3 refers complaints to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
(NCMEC). In 2025, IC3 referred more than 5,700 submissions involving minors to NCMEC.
2025 Sextortion by Age Range
Age Range Count Adjusted Loss
Read More
Under 20 11,316 $1,297,653
20 - 29 22,061 $7,282,686 Financially Motivated Sextortion — FBI
30 - 39 11,855 $8,063,178 Sextortion — FBI
40 - 49 7,791 $6,507,936
50 - 59 5,139 $6,186,794
60+ 6,121 $14,894,547
Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud
Cryptocurrency Investment Scams are sophisticated long-term scams using
psychological manipulation, the appearance of legitimacy, and exploitation of
cryptocurrencies to deceive victims into investing large sums of money. These scams are
largely perpetrated by organized criminal enterprises based in Southeast Asia using
victims of human trafficking as forced labor to run the scam operations. Cryptocurrency
investment fraud was the highest source of financial losses to Americans in 2025 with $7.2
billion reported in losses.
The scammers typically initiate contact through text messages, social media sites,
advertisements, or dating applications and then quickly move the conversation to a
messaging platform. Often the victims are introduced to investment groups representing
themselves to be knowledgeable industry insiders offering guidance on trading or
investing in cryptocurrency or gold. The victims are enticed to send cryptocurrency to fake
investment scam platforms or apps and are shown fake profits and offered loans to
encourage larger investments. Eventually, when the victims try to withdraw their money,
12 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
they will be charged taxes and fees as a final attempt to exploit money from the victims
before the scammers disappear with all the victim funds. Victims are also targeted in
recovery scams, claiming to help recover lost
funds. Read More
These scams are often devastating because they
Investment Fraud - Internet
can leave victims with significant financial loss and
Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
emotional distress. The FBI is working to combat
these scams through its work on the U.S. Cryptocurrency Investment
Attorney’s Office District of Columbia Scam Fraud — FBI
Center Strike Force and Operation Level Up, as
detailed in the “Positive Impact” section of this report.
Account Takeover (ATO) Gold Courier Scams
Approximately 4,700 complaints Approximately 725 complaints
$359.7 million in losses $311.8 million in losses
---- ----
IC3 - Account Takeover Fraud via IC3 - Scammers Use Couriers to Retrieve
Impersonation of Financial Institution Cash and Precious Metals from Victims of
Support Tech Support and Government
Impersonation Scams
Investment Club Scams Government Impersonation
Approximately 1,600 complaints Approximately 32,000 complaints
$160 million in losses $798 million in losses
---- ----
IC3 - Fraudsters Target US Stock Investors IC3 - Senior US Officials Impersonated in
through Investment Clubs Accessed on Malicious Messaging Campaign
Social Media and Messaging Applications IC3 - Criminals Impersonate US Health
Insurance Providers and Chinese Law
Enforcement to Target Chinese Speakers
Residing in the United States
13 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Cyber Threats in 2025
Hijacked networks, cryptocurrency heists, and corporate espionage are a few examples of
the spiraling cyber threat. Every year, our adversaries become savvier and increasingly
callous – attacking power grids, shutting down hospitals, and stoking geopolitical tensions.
State-sponsored cyber actors wield every element of their national power to target the
United States and its critical infrastructure. Skilled cybercriminals exploit new and
longstanding vulnerabilities to steal our money and hold our data for ransom.
Combating these threats is the primary mission of the FBI’s Cyber program. As the lead
federal agency for investigating cyberattacks and intrusions, we engage with victims and
work to unmask those committing malicious cyber activities, wherever they are.
9
Cyber Threats Reported to IC3 in 2025
36%
Botnet
Data Breach
Malware 9% 10%
Ransomware
7%
SIM Swap
39%
9
Accessibility description: Chart shows the typically associated cyber threat crime types and percentage of the total cyber threat
complaints received.
14 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Ransomware as Reported to IC3 in 2025
Ransomware is among the highest reported cyber
threats targeting critical infrastructure organizations. • 63 New
Ransomware is a type of malicious software designed to Ransomware
block access to a computer system until money is paid.
In 2025, the IC3 received more than 3,600 complaints
Variants Identified
reporting ransomware, with losses exceeding $32 via IC3
million. • Average 5.25 New
In 2025, the following ransomware variants were among Variants Per Month
those most frequently reported variants to the FBI via
IC3, accounting for 56.8% of the total number of
ransomware incidents reported. The 2025 loss amount reported to IC3 attributed to these
variants is over $16 million, almost half (49.8%) of the total losses reported. Regarding
ransomware adjusted losses, this number does not normally include estimates of lost
business, time, wages, files, or equipment, or any third-party remediation services acquired
by an entity. In some cases, entities do not report any loss amount to the FBI, thereby
creating an artificially low overall ransomware loss rate. Lastly, the number only represents
what entities report to the FBI via IC3 and does not account for the entity directly reporting
to FBI field offices.
Top 10 Reported Variants
The top 10 reported ransomware variants most impacted the following Critical Sectors:
Critical Manufacturing, Healthcare and Public Health, and Government Facilities.
Joint Cyber Security Advisories (JCSAs) are available to learn more about several of these
variants.
1. Akira 2. Qilin 3. INC./Lynx/Sinobi 4. BianLian 5. Play
6. Ransomhub 7. Lockbit 8. Dragonforce 9. SAFEPAY 10. Medusa
15 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Recommendations to Protect Against Ransomware
A key step to limit damage and lower risk is to establish and maintain a solid foundation of
industry best practices, which can help mitigate the threat and reduce your organization’s
attack surface. The FBI recommends the following mitigating practices for companies:
• Create off-site or offline backups and regularly maintain backup and restoration.
Additionally, ensure all backup data is encrypted, immutable (i.e., cannot be altered or
deleted), and covers the entire organization’s data infrastructure.
• Eliminate default passwords and credentials when installing software and require all
accounts with password logins (e.g., service accounts, admin accounts, and domain
admin accounts) to comply with NIST’s standards.
• Disable and remove unnecessary protocols by default. Audit user accounts with
administrative privileges and configure access controls according to the principle of
least privilege.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all services to the extent possible,
particularly for webmail, virtual private networks, and accounts that access critical
systems.
• Secure initial access points - To help in detecting the ransomware, implement a tool
that logs and reports all network traffic, including lateral movement activity on a
network. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools are particularly useful for
detecting lateral connections as they have insight into common and uncommon
network connections for each host.
• Segment networks to prevent the spread of ransomware. Network segmentation can
help prevent the spread of ransomware by controlling traffic flows between—and
access to— various subnetworks and by restricting adversary lateral movement.
• Keep all operating systems, software, and firmware up to date. Timely patching is one
of the most efficient and cost-effective steps an organization can take to minimize its
exposure to cybersecurity threats. Prioritize patching known exploited vulnerabilities in
internet-facing systems.
If you are impacted by ransomware or cybercrime, file a report with IC3 to share information
with the FBI.
For a more extensive list of mitigations and recommendations regarding ransomware, please
refer to #StopRansomware Guide | CISA.
16 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Cyber Threats to Critical Infrastructure in 2025
There are 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems, and networks, whether
physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the U.S., their incapacitation or destruction
would have a debilitating effect on national security, economic security, or public health and
safety.
Read More – https://www.cisa.gov/topics/critical-infrastructure-security-and-
resilience/critical-infrastructure-sectors 10
Cyber Threats to Critical Infrastructure Data Breach Ransomware
460
232 258
233
355
164
80
89 199 189
174 182
24 25 34 51 54 59 82
51 84 52
1 1 17 11 9 28 31 8
Non-Critical Sector Ransomware Reporting
IC3 received more than 1,400 ransomware complaints from businesses and
organizations not related to a critical sector. Below are the most reported industries for
these complaints.
Example
18% Legal services law firms, estate planning
17% Contracting services electricians, general contractors
10% Engineering, architectural services engineering firms, land surveying
7% Consulting services project management, marketing services
5% Non-critical manufacturing furniture, building materials
10
Accessibility description: This chart outlines complaints categorized as ransomware and data breach complaints related to one of the
16 critical infrastructure sectors.
17 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
IC3 Recovery Asset Team - Financial Fraud
Kill Chain in 2025
Established in 2018, the IC3 RAT streamlines
communications with financial institutions and FBI field
offices to assist in the freezing of funds for victims of 3,900 Incidents
fraudulent domestic and international transactions via
the FFKC. $1,163,919,846
Attempted Theft
For the domestic FFKC process, the IC3 RAT will expand
the FFKC process beyond the initial recipient bank if $679,013,183 Frozen
information is provided during the FFKC initiation on
58% Success Rate
“second hop” transactions to other domestic or
international accounts to request freezes on as much of
the lost funds as possible. For the international FFKC
process, the IC3 RAT coordinates with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Rapid
Response Team and law enforcement entities, including FBI LEGAT offices and international
law enforcement partners to assist in freezing funds.
Domestic FFKC International FFKC
3,574 Incidents 326 Incidents
$507,042,623 Frozen $171,970,560 Frozen
In the past, the majority of FFKC incidents initiated by the IC3 RAT were Business Email
Compromises (BECs), however in 2025 the FFKC process saw a rise in Tech Support and
Account Takeover (ATO) initiations. ATO-related incidents can contain upwards of 50 or more
transactions to different recipient accounts at multiple banks happening simultaneously via
ACH transactions. It is extremely important for individuals and businesses to follow this
guidance:
• If you discover a fraudulent transfer, time is of the essence. Immediately, contact
your financial institution and request a recall of the funds along with any
necessary indemnification documents. Different financial institutions have
varying policies; it is important to know what assistance your financial institution
will provide when attempting to recover funds.
• Regardless of the amount lost, file a complaint at www.ic3.gov. Be sure to include
the full transaction details in your report. IC3 may be able to assist both the
financial institutions and law enforcement in freezing funds.
18 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
FFKC in Elder Fraud
Of the 3,900 FFKCs incidents initiated for 2025, there were 642 incidents involving victims
aged 60+ with a total reported loss of $65,367,648. The FFKC process was able to assist in
freezing $32,865,655 of those funds. The top three IC3 crime types in 2025 FFKC incidents
involving 60+ victims:
• Tech Support/ATO scams: 360 FFKC incidents
• BEC (BEC/Real Estate): 104 FFKC incidents
• Investment (Investment/Crypto): 64 FFKC incidents
FFKC Initiated for Critical Infrastructure
In 2025, the RAT initiated 655 FFKC incidents reported by businesses and organizations
belonging to one of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors. Of the $261,451,001 in reported
losses, the RAT was able to freeze $146,561,094, for an overall success rate of 56%.
11
Success Rate of FFKC Actions for Critical Infrastructure
Chemical
92% 95% Commercial Facilities
Communications
51%
67% Critical Manufacturing
31% Defense Industrial Base
47% Emergency
60% Energy
36% Financial
55% Food & Agriculture
Government Facilities
100%
48% Healthcare
53% 33% Information Technology
65%
Transportation
Water/Waste Systems
11
Accessibility description: Chart shows the success rate of FFKC incidents initiated related to critical infrastructure sectors.
19 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Positive Impacts
U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Columbia
Scam Center Strike Force on Cryptocurrency Investment
Fraud
In response to the massive losses to cryptocurrency investment scams, the newly formed
U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Columbia Scam Center Strike Force combines the power,
reach, and resources of the U.S. Attorney’s Office with the Department of Justice’s Criminal
Division, the FBI, and the U.S. Secret Service to crackdown and disrupt these schemes. The
Strike Force is also seeking to use all government tools available, partnering with the State
Department, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the
Department of Commerce.
The Scam Center Strike Force is investigating the worst scam compounds located in
Southeast Asia. Strike Force teams focus on identifying and pursuing key leaders—including
Chinese organized crime affiliates operating in Cambodia, Laos, and Burma—to bring them
to justice.
The Scam Center Strike Force is also working to seize and disable the U.S.-based facilities
and infrastructure that provide the manner and means to execute these scams, which
includes U.S. internet service providers and social media accounts scammers use to prey
on Americans. The Scam Center Strike Force will collaborate with U.S. companies to sever
access to the scam centers and prevent U.S. infrastructure from being weaponized against
American citizens.
Read More
New Scam Center Strike Force Battles Southeast Asian Crypto Investment Fraud Targeting
Americans | United States Department of Justice
20 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Positive Impacts, continued
Operation Level Up
Launched in January 2024, Operation Level Up identifies victims of cryptocurrency
investment fraud and notifies them of the scam. The operation was initiated with the
support of agents from the FBI and U.S. Secret Service. Since its launch, Operation Level
Up has achieved big milestones, surpassing 8,000 total victims notified and $500 million
in savings to notified victims.
2025 Success Stories Prevented Losses
Utilizing IC3 complaint data, Operation • Stopped a victim from cashing out
Level Up reported: $750,000 from his 401K.
• 3,780 victims of cryptocurrency • Stopped a victim from selling her house
investment fraud were notified to invest $500,000.
• 78% of those victims were unaware they • Stopped a victim from obtaining a loan to
were being scammed send $400,000 to the scammer.
• Estimated victim savings of • Multiple FBI initiations to the FFKC
$225,871,319 reversed wires and returned funds to
• 38 victims were referred to a Victim victims.
Specialist for suicide intervention • Several victims’ finances, which needed
to pay for serious medical treatments,
were saved. Victims were planning to
Read More send these funds in hopes of earning
Operation Level-Up: How the FBI Is Saving more to pay for their treatments.
Victims from Cryptocurrency Investment • Intervened with multiple victims who
Fraud — FBI were contemplating suicide or self-harm.
Operation Level Up — FBI Along with FBI Victim Specialists, FBI
Agents maintained contact with the
victim until local law enforcement
arrived.
21 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Positive Impacts, continued
Call Center Fraud
Illegal call centers defraud thousands of victims each year. Two categories of call center
fraud reported to the IC3 are Tech/Customer Support and Government Impersonation. In
2025, the number of complaints totaled more than 80,000, with losses exceeding $2.9
billion.
DOJ, FBI, and Central Bureau Success Stories
of Investigation
Since 2022, the DOJ, FBI, and In 2025, the FBI enabled approximately 175 arrests
IC3 have collaborated with law through 13 joint operations with the CBI and other local
enforcement in India, to law enforcement. Since 2022, the FBI and CBI have had
include the Central Bureau of over 1,200 exchanges of information to support
Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi criminal investigations, with more than 475 arrests
and local Indian states, to across 27 joint operations. The FBI has conducted
combat cyber-enabled hundreds of interviews and continues to support Indian
financial crimes and law enforcement efforts to dismantle and disrupt
transnational call center fraud. fraudulent call centers and the prosecution of
individuals in Indian perpetrating these frauds.
FBI Baltimore Field Office: The CBI, in a joint operation with the FBI, dismantled a large
Noida, India-based transnational cybercrime network in December 2025, arresting six
individuals for duping more than 600 U.S. citizens through tech-support scams and
impersonating U.S. agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Social
Security Administration. The operation, codenamed "Operation Chakra," involved raiding an
illegal call center, seizing cash and devices, and uncovering complex money laundering
through crypto and bank transfers, with ongoing efforts to trace international funds and
execute further arrests. Victim reporting to IC3 identified more than $48.7 million in losses
attributed to the criminal network, which encouraged the CBI to pursue the call center.
Read More Maryland police, Prosecutor, FBI announce arrests in international fraud
scheme
FBI San Diego Field Office: The FBI San Diego Elder Justice Task Force (EJTF), along with
over 100 law enforcement personnel, executed multiple federal and state arrest and
search warrants in November 2025, targeting alleged members and associates of an
international elder scam network. Via IC3 reporting, the FBI identified over 500 suspected
or confirmed U.S. victims with the approximate loss amount exceeding $40 million. Read
More Nineteen Alleged Fraudsters Arrested for Conspiring to Scam Over 500 U.S. Seniors —
FBI
Read More Tech/Customer Support and Government Impersonation
22 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Positive Impacts, continued
Ransomware
BlackSuit (Royal) Ransomware
IC3 enhances and supports intelligence analysis, while triaging victim reporting in support
of ongoing investigations. In 2025, BlackSuit (Royal) ransomware attacks targeted critical
infrastructure sectors including, but not limited to, critical manufacturing, government
facilities, healthcare and public health, and commercial facilities. IC3 provided information
regarding numerous victims of the BlackSuit (Royal) Ransomware group to the field for
victim notification and assistance. On August 11, 2025, the Department of Justice issued a
press release highlighting coordinated actions taken to disrupt this group which involved
multiple domestic and foreign law enforcement partner participation.
Read More Office of Public Affairs | Justice Department Announces Coordinated
Disruption Actions Against BlackSuit (Royal) Ransomware Operations | United States
Department of Justice
Data Breach
DPRK
IC3 identified dozens of victim companies of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
(DPRK) Information Technology (IT) worker scam through complaints filed on IC3.gov. The
DPRK government reportedly dispatched thousands of individuals around the globe with
the aim of deceiving U.S. and other businesses worldwide into hiring them as remote IT
workers to generate revenue to fund its weapons program. In addition, the FBI observed
these IT workers leverage unlawful access to company networks to exfiltrate proprietary
and sensitive data and facilitate cyber-criminal activities on behalf of the DPRK.
Read More
IC3 - North Korean IT Workers Conducting Data Extortion
IC3 - North Korean IT Worker Threats to U.S. Businesses
23 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Positive Impacts, continued
Financial Fraud Kill Chain
In March 2025, the RAT received an IC3 complaint regarding a BEC incident involving a
Missouri victim who was a senior citizen. The victim was attempting to close on a property
and received a compromised email from the “title company” containing wire instructions
for over $1.3 million to a fraudulent bank account. The RAT immediately initiated the FFKC
with domestic banking partners to freeze the fraudulent recipient account and confirmed
funds were frozen and other wires had come into the fraudulent account from additional
victims. The RAT was notified the owner of the fraudulent recipient account was a victim of
an overpayment scam and instructed to send $1 million to a fraudulent international
account in Hong Kong. The RAT immediately initiated the International FFKC to the
Financial Crime Enforcement Network and LEGAT Hong Kong partners.
In April 2025, the FBI Portland Office notified the RAT a city government office in Oregon
was the victim of a BEC incident with a reported loss of over $6 million dollars. The RAT
searched FFKC records for the fraudulent recipient bank account and found the March
2025 FFKC was for the same recipient account. The RAT notified the FBI Portland Field
Office of the details regarding the prior FFKC and notified the recipient banking partners of
the additional wire transfer to the fraudulent recipient account. Due to the previous FFKC
notification and freeze on the recipient account, the recipient bank notified the originating
bank in Oregon of the situation and to confirm the validity of the wire instructions. The wire
instructions were determined to be fraudulent, and the originating bank was able to issue
a recall for the $6 million wire. https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/united-states-files-
forfeiture-action-recover-67-million-stolen-funds
In August 2025, the RAT received a complaint reporting a BEC/Real Estate incident. The
individuals were closing on a home when they received an email impersonating their
legitimate attorneys. A wire was submitted at their bank for over $449,000 and was sent to
the recipient bank. After the fraud was discovered, the individuals reported the fraud to
their bank, and their attorneys made separate attempts to contact the recipient bank with
negative results. Upon receiving the IC3 complaint filed about the incident, the RAT
immediately initiated the FFKC to request a freeze of the fraudulent account at the recipient
bank. The RAT received notification from the recipient bank that the full amount was still in
the account and on hold.
24 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
International Complaint Countries 12
IC3 received complaints from more than 200 countries in 2025, which accounts for almost
$1.6 billion of the overall 2025 losses.
Top 20 Foreign Countries with IC3 Complainants
Country Complaints Country Complaints
Canada 7,479 Mexico 1,654
India 5,879 South Africa 1,532
Japan 5,764 Pakistan 1,514
United Kingdom 4,106 Nigeria 1,219
Germany 3,056 Greece 1,205
Philippines 2,725 Iran 1,101
Brazil 2,686 China 1,030
France 2,326 Spain 993
Colombia 2,222 Turkey 944
Australia 2,069 Italy 918
Transactional information provided in IC3 complaints also helps identify where funds are
going when victims are directed to send funds overseas. 13
Highest International Wire Transaction Destinations in 2025
1858
1782
1685
1583 1538
1301
918
831
767
550
12
Accessibility description: Chart lists the top 20 countries by number of total complaints submitted to IC3, aside from the U.S. Please
see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
13
Accessibility description: Chart shows the countries with the highest number of reported fraudulent wire transactions in 2025.
25 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
IC3 Complaints in 2025
Three Year Complaint Count Comparison
By Complaint Count
Crime Type 2025 2024 2023
Advanced Fee 7,762 7,097 8,045
BEC 24,768 21,442 21,489
Botnet 715 587 540
Charity 662 * *
Confidence/Romance 23,159 17,910 17,823
Credit Card/Check Fraud 18,774 12,876 13,718
Crimes Against Children * 4,472 2,361
Data Breach 3,963 3,204 3,727
Employment 24,688 20,044 15,443
Extortion 89,129 86,415 48,223
Government Impersonation 32,424 17,367 14,190
Harassment/Stalking 21,557 11,672 9,587
Identity Theft 31,675 21,403 19,778
Investment 72,984 47,919 39,570
IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit 2,386 1,583 1,498
Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance 5,623 3,690 4,168
Malware 893 441 659
Non-Payment/Non-Delivery 56,478 49,572 50,523
Other 20,031 12,318 8,808
Overpayment 2,194 2,705 4,144
Personal Data Breach 67,456 64,882 55,851
Phishing/Spoofing 191,561 193,407 298,878
Ransomware 3,611 3,156 2,825
Real Estate 12,368 9,359 9,521
SIM Swap 971 982 1,075
Tech/Customer Support 47,794 36,002 37,560
Threats of Violence 4,826 1,360 1,697
* Crime Type or Descriptor was not captured in these years.
26 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
IC3 Complaints in 2025
Three Year Complaint Loss Comparison
By Complaint Loss
Crime Type 2025 2024 2023
Advanced Fee $155,910,852 $102,074,512 $134,516,577
BEC $3,046,598,558 $2,770,151,146 $2,946,830,270
Botnet $13,859,049 $8,860,202 $22,422,708
Charity $7,907,609 * *
Confidence/Romance $929,287,469 $672,009,052 $652,544,805
Credit Card/Check Fraud $282,670,235 $199,889,841 $173,627,614
Crimes Against Children * $519,424 $2,031,485
Data Breach $435,240,992 $364,855,818 $534,397,222
Employment $362,934,762 $264,223,271 $70,234,079
Extortion $122,499,133 $143,185,736 $74,821,835
Government Impersonation $797,943,193 $405,624,084 $394,050,518
Harassment/Stalking $27,707,167 $10,611,223 $9,677,332
Identity Theft $185,832,657 $174,354,745 $126,203,809
Investment $8,648,617,756 $6,570,639,864 $4,570,275,683
IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit $26,667,006 $8,715,512 $7,555,329
Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance $194,147,851 $102,212,250 $94,502,836
Malware $19,370,572 $1,365,945 $1,213,317
Non-Payment/Non-Delivery $503,373,587 $785,436,888 $309,648,416
Other $512,146,819 $280,278,325 $240,053,059
Overpayment $22,898,075 $21,452,521 $27,955,195
Personal Data Breach $1,314,923,988 $1,453,296,303 $744,219,879
Phishing/Spoofing $215,843,126 $70,013,036 $18,728,550
Ransomware $32,320,105 $12,473,156 $59,641,384
Real Estate $275,110,419 $173,586,820 $145,243,348
SIM Swap $17,366,758 $25,983,946 $48,798,103
Tech/Customer Support $2,134,675,818 $1,464,755,976 $924,512,658
Threats of Violence $9,509,532 $1,842,186 $13,531,178
* Crime Type or Descriptor was not captured in these years.
27 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Complaints by State
Top 10 States California 116,414
by Number of Texas 97,912
Complaints14
Florida 71,843
New York 45,255
Illinois 32,977
Pennsylvania 31,154
Arizona 28,868
Ohio 27,626
North Carolina 25,940
Georgia 25,936
Top 10 States
California $3,675
by Loss
(In Millions) 15 Texas $1,826
Florida $1,596
New York $1,226
New Jersey $660
Arizona $631
Pennsylvania $538
Illinois $535
Georgia $535
Virginia $476
14
Accessibility description: Chart depicts the top 10 states based on number of complaints. These include California, Texas, Florida,
New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Ohio, North Carolina, and Georgia. Please see Appendix C for more information regarding IC3
data.
15
Accessibility description: Chart depicts the top 10 states based on reported losses are labeled. These include California, Texas,
Florida, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Georgia, and Virginia. Please see Appendix C for more information
regarding IC3 data.
28 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
States by Complaint Count
Rank State Complaints State Complaints
1 California 116,414 30 Kentucky 9,414
2 Texas 97,912 31 Louisiana 8,623
3 Florida 71,843 32 Kansas 7,927
4 New York 45,255 33 Arkansas 6,161
5 Illinois 32,977 34 New Mexico 5,688
6 Pennsylvania 31,154 35 Iowa 5,436
7 Arizona 28,868 36 Mississippi 5,084
8 Ohio 27,626 37 Idaho 4,479
9 North Carolina 25,940 38 New Hampshire 4,374
10 Georgia 25,936 39 West Virginia 4,209
11 Washington 25,619 40 Puerto Rico 4,108
12 Virginia 25,314 41 Nebraska 3,724
13 Massachusetts 22,936 42 Hawaii 3,328
14 Michigan 22,191 43 Alaska 3,202
15 Indiana 20,777 44 District of Columbia 3,113
16 New Jersey 20,648 45 Delaware 3,089
17 Maryland 19,430 46 Maine 2,888
18 Colorado 18,847 47 Rhode Island 2,700
19 Wisconsin 16,680 48 Montana 2,618
20 Tennessee 16,261 49 South Dakota 2,514
21 South Carolina 14,699 50 Vermont 1,580
22 Missouri 14,087 51 Wyoming 1,552
23 Minnesota 13,595 52 North Dakota 1,418
United States Minor Outlying
24 Nevada 13,366 53 211
Islands
25 Oregon 12,477 54 American Samoa 188
26 Oklahoma 11,964 55 Guam 171
27 Alabama 9,936 56 Virgin Islands, U.S. 125
28 Utah 9,903 57 Northern Mariana Islands 30
29 Connecticut 9,714
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
29 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
States by Complaint Loss
Rank State Loss State Loss
1 California $3,674,716,305 30 Oklahoma $131,921,776
2 Texas $1,825,636,181 31 Kentucky $119,685,861
3 Florida $1,596,138,595 32 Hawaii $106,447,375
4 New York $1,226,307,877 33 Louisiana $105,440,238
5 New Jersey $660,411,901 34 Arkansas $102,541,947
6 Arizona $630,700,609 35 District of Columbia $97,368,097
7 Pennsylvania $537,787,231 36 Iowa $95,520,131
8 Illinois $535,255,201 37 West Virginia $92,648,544
9 Georgia $534,581,965 38 Idaho $88,725,284
10 Virginia $476,120,025 39 New Mexico $85,571,285
11 Washington $458,165,375 40 Mississippi $77,360,761
12 North Carolina $431,561,716 41 Rhode Island $71,960,439
13 Ohio $421,289,526 42 Nebraska $71,844,724
14 Massachusetts $410,924,066 43 Delaware $62,012,494
15 Maryland $390,242,821 44 New Hampshire $59,283,023
16 Michigan $381,068,131 45 Maine $56,536,020
17 Colorado $355,049,719 46 Montana $53,192,859
18 Nevada $302,235,247 47 South Dakota $51,452,806
19 Tennessee $269,214,519 48 Puerto Rico $44,266,380
20 South Carolina $264,083,026 49 Alaska $39,972,438
21 Minnesota $248,892,986 50 North Dakota $37,865,442
22 Missouri $233,933,401 51 Vermont $26,567,033
23 Indiana $233,016,771 52 Wyoming $25,826,205
United States Minor
24 Connecticut $219,500,212 53 $3,486,871
Outlying Islands
25 Utah $195,417,205 54 Virgin Islands, U.S. $2,448,598
26 Wisconsin $194,227,722 55 Guam $1,416,690
Northern Mariana
27 Oregon $193,196,479 56 $290,585
Islands
28 Alabama $167,212,658 57 American Samoa $172,395
29 Kansas $147,337,101
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
30 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Complaints per 100K Citizens*
Rank State Count State Count
1 District of Columbia 448.8 27 Vermont 245.1
2 Alaska 434.3 28 Rhode Island 242.3
3 Nevada 407.2 29 Pennsylvania 238.6
4 Arizona 378.7 30 West Virginia 238.3
5 Massachusetts 320.6 31 Minnesota 233.2
6 Washington 320.2 32 Hawaii 232.3
7 Colorado 313.5 33 Ohio 232.1
8 Maryland 310.1 34 North Carolina 231.6
9 New Hampshire 309.0 35 Georgia 229.5
10 Texas 308.8 36 Montana 228.7
11 Florida 306.2 37 New York 226.2
12 Indiana 297.9 38 Missouri 224.7
13 California 295.8 39 Tennessee 222.3
14 Oregon 292.0 40 Idaho 220.7
15 Delaware 291.4 41 Michigan 219.1
16 Oklahoma 290.2 42 New Jersey 216.2
17 Virginia 285.1 43 Kentucky 204.3
18 Utah 279.8 44 Maine 204.1
19 Wisconsin 279.3 45 Arkansas 197.8
20 South Dakota 268.8 46 Alabama 191.3
21 New Mexico 267.6 47 Louisiana 186.7
22 Kansas 266.3 48 Nebraska 184.5
23 South Carolina 263.9 49 North Dakota 177.4
24 Wyoming 263.6 50 Mississippi 172.1
25 Connecticut 263.4 51 Iowa 167.9
26 Illinois 259.3 52 Puerto Rico 129.0
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
31 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Losses per 100K Citizens*
Rank State Loss State Loss
1 District of Columbia $14,037,165 27 Oregon $4,520,711
2 California $9,337,282 28 Wyoming $4,386,594
3 Nevada $9,208,347 29 Idaho $4,371,279
4 Arizona $8,272,766 30 Minnesota $4,268,880
5 Hawaii $7,429,222 31 Illinois $4,208,265
6 New Jersey $6,916,601 32 New Hampshire $4,188,601
7 Florida $6,802,930 33 Vermont $4,121,073
8 Rhode Island $6,456,625 34 Pennsylvania $4,117,999
9 Maryland $6,228,591 35 New Mexico $4,025,941
10 New York $6,130,795 36 Maine $3,995,834
11 Connecticut $5,950,941 37 North Carolina $3,853,929
12 Colorado $5,905,133 38 Michigan $3,762,564
13 Delaware $5,850,500 39 Missouri $3,730,673
14 Texas $5,757,321 40 Tennessee $3,680,270
15 Massachusetts $5,743,909 41 Nebraska $3,560,184
16 Washington $5,726,337 42 Ohio $3,540,096
17 Utah $5,521,970 43 Indiana $3,341,541
18 South Dakota $5,502,421 44 Arkansas $3,292,097
19 Alaska $5,421,682 45 Wisconsin $3,251,878
20 Virginia $5,361,647 46 Alabama $3,219,908
21 West Virginia $5,245,800 47 Oklahoma $3,199,432
22 Kansas $4,948,815 48 Iowa $2,949,621
23 South Carolina $4,740,934 49 Mississippi $2,618,706
24 North Dakota $4,736,982 50 Kentucky $2,597,990
25 Georgia $4,729,664 51 Louisiana $2,283,151
26 Montana $4,646,906 52 Puerto Rico $1,389,911
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
32 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Crime Types by Age Groups
Counts Under 20 20 - 29 30 – 39 40 – 49 50 - 59
Advanced Fee 288 991 1,170 1,120 1,169
BEC 73 1,250 3,619 5,090 4,910
Botnet 106 155 137 129 56
Charity 34 87 114 148 101
Confidence/Romance 393 1,886 2,501 3,010 3,745
Credit Card/ 451 1,760 2,767 2,958 2,810
Check Fraud
Data Breach 21 135 443 625 522
Employment 835 4,555 5,025 4,524 3,671
Extortion 13,110 26,963 15,866 11,279 7,841
Government 420 3,401 5,446 6,136 5,636
Impersonation
Harassment/Stalking 1,827 4,711 5,473 4,076 2,249
Identity Theft 487 3,526 6,498 6,433 5,528
Investment 901 6,102 10,996 13,737 12,773
IPR/Copyright and 70 261 504 502 359
Counterfeit
Lottery/Sweepstakes/ 75 315 528 679 773
Inheritance
Malware 57 159 193 147 93
Non-payment/ 2,351 8,331 9,947 9,981 8,158
Non-Delivery
Other 2,159 2,864 3,938 3,659 2,620
Overpayment 304 350 294 295 310
Personal Data Breach 2,601 7,877 13,238 13,403 9,703
Phishing/Spoofing 2,380 19,765 27,433 27,800 26,782
Ransomware 15 67 204 427 457
Real Estate 158 1,986 2,189 2,037 2,036
SIM Swap 6 61 162 210 194
Tech/Customer Support 405 3,045 4,864 5,182 5,512
Threats of Violence 508 1,045 1,084 829 531
60+ crime type information is available in the 2025 IC3 Elder Fraud Section.
33 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Losses Under 20 20 - 29 30 – 39 40 – 49 50 - 59
Advanced Fee $327,823 $7,081,874 $13,311,458 $18,801,337 $25,811,979
BEC $15,137,36 $45,754,756 $356,707,180 $624,292,591 $618,105,890
Botnet 4
$20,532 $53,205 $383,680 $5,923,019 $191,046
Charity $41,917 $914,968 $282,824 $323,872 $224,605
Confidence/ $3,057,718 $25,097,693 $42,460,967 $74,644,395 $131,385,454
Romance
Credit Card/ $606,192 $6,076,760 $32,039,262 $49,971,180 $43,817,766
Check Fraud
Data Breach $1,741,450 $4,158,310 $72,145,136 $64,973,932 $77,385,567
Employment $1,489,854 $33,049,422 $42,865,213 $57,604,303 $100,853,442
Extortion $1,715,733 $12,179,028 $14,964,819 $13,427,693 $15,710,381
Government $8,583,219 $50,358,843 $82,005,707 $55,019,630 $84,516,785
Impersonation
Harassment/ $218,229 $591,102 $5,343,712 $6,098,635 $4,721,979
Stalking
Identity Theft $1,547,663 $10,815,080 $19,440,941 $27,807,082 $35,573,535
Investment $17,022,80 $163,145,27 $564,898,178 $1,152,243,858 $1,748,651,287
IPR/Copyright 4
$72,650 0
$377,545 $2,108,962 $14,161,896 $3,270,925
& Counterfeit
Lottery/
Sweepstakes/ $89,050 $2,273,833 $5,047,453 $12,877,295 $19,385,699
Inheritance
Malware $3,766 $504,839 $1,714,483 $1,998,406 $10,661,574
Non-payment/ $2,391,036 $37,006,257 $69,016,236 $97,620,771 $73,863,630
Non-Delivery
Other $2,616,321 $12,967,479 $58,543,283 $96,902,505 $85,195,234
Overpayment $181,495 $783,264 $3,937,790 $2,601,879 $2,301,154
Personal Data $7,314,429 $86,102,381 $173,434,730 $241,244,329 $225,239,544
Breach
Phishing/ $360,429 $7,954,797 $32,669,619 $33,063,856 $30,918,367
Spoofing
Ransomware $0 $2,956,745 $821,075 $6,918,385 $5,394,639
Real Estate $189,875 $7,294,459 $23,316,890 $33,724,892 $46,373,027
SIM Swap $6,303 $153,247 $796,329 $3,399,856 $2,698,369
Tech/
Customer $2,328,729 $45,718,725 $119,274,031 $261,313,644 $283,494,484
Support
Threats of $40,982 $159,365 $7,335,885 $454,130 $239,803
Violence
60+ crime type information is available in the 2025 IC3 Elder Fraud Section.
34 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Complainants 17 Years Old or Younger
Recent trends indicate a serious rise in cybercrimes
targeting minors (17 years old or younger), driven by
sextortion, cyberbullying, and online grooming. 13,168 Complaints
The FBI is actively investigating a violent online
group known as "764," which coerces children into $12,988,892 Losses
engaging in self-harm, animal cruelty, and suicidal
$986 Average Loss
acts on live stream, sometimes leading to the death
of the victim.
In 2025, IC3 referred more than 5,700 submissions
involving minors to NCMEC.
Read More: IC3 - Violent Online Networks Target
Vulnerable and Underage Populations Across the
United States and Around the Globe
16
Transaction Types Reported by 17 and Younger
10%
Prepaid Card/Gift Card 6%
Peer-to-peer Transfer
15% 4%
Debit Card/Credit Card
3% 1%
Cryptocurrency/Crypto ATM
Wire Transfer
Check/Cashier's Check 10%
Cash
Money Order
20%
Other
31%
16
Accessibility description: Chart depicts the most reported transaction types by complainants 17 years old or younger.
35 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
17 or Younger By Complaint Count
Crime Type Complaints Crime Type Complaints
Government
Extortion 5,151 99
Impersonation
Personal Data Breach 1,510 Tech Support 85
Other 1,460 Botnet 65
Harassment/Stalking 1,053 Confidence/Romance 57
IPR/Copyright and
Phishing/Spoofing 878 42
Counterfeit
Non-payment/Non-
825 Malware 29
Delivery
Threats of Violence 251 Real Estate 23
Employment 246 Charity 16
Lottery/Sweepstakes/
Investment 237 13
Inheritance
Identity Theft 181 Data Breach 9
Overpayment 164 Ransomware 5
Credit Card/Check
125 BEC 4
Fraud
Advanced Fee 102 SIM Swap 1
Descriptors
Cryptocurrency 950
AI Related 355
Crimes Against
5,200
Children
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
36 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
17 or Younger By Complaint Loss
Crime Type Loss Crime Type Loss
Investment $4,743,664 Confidence/Romance $75,440
IPR/Copyright and
Other $1,810,134 $72,188
Counterfeit
Data Breach $1,693,400 Overpayment $61,918
Government
$1,412,003 Real Estate $43,861
Impersonation
Non-payment/
$648,538 Advanced Fee $23,765
Non-Delivery
Identity Theft $510,553 BEC $10,750
Personal Data Breach $500,264 Charity $4,552
Extortion $468,831 Threats of Violence $1,547
Lottery/Sweepstakes/
Tech Support $396,487 $488
Inheritance
Harassment/Stalking $203,807 Botnet $82
Credit Card/Check
$121,506 Malware $35
Fraud
Employment $106,727 Ransomware $0
Phishing/Spoofing $77,852 SIM Swap $0
Descriptors
Cryptocurrency $5,620,716
AI Related $126,391
Crimes Against
$298,240
Children
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
37 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
17/Younger Complaints by State
Rank State Count State Count
1 California 1,492 30 Oregon 146
2 Texas 1,082 31 Kentucky 143
3 Florida 702 32 Connecticut 129
4 New York 539 33 Louisiana 111
5 Illinois 371 34 Kansas 94
5 Pennsylvania 366 35 Idaho 91
7 North Carolina 365 36 Mississippi 91
8 Arizona 341 37 Arkansas 89
9 Ohio 337 38 Iowa 82
10 Georgia 317 39 Nebraska 71
11 Washington 312 40 Alaska 63
12 Michigan 292 41 New Mexico 62
13 Virginia 292 42 West Virginia 55
14 Colorado 240 43 Maine 44
15 New Jersey 240 44 New Hampshire 38
16 Indiana 226 44 Hawaii 37
17 Maryland 224 46 Rhode Island 35
18 Missouri 205 47 Delaware 34
18 Nevada 202 47 Montana 33
20 Tennessee 197 49 Puerto Rico 30
21 Massachusetts 195 50 District of Columbia 23
22 Minnesota 180 51 North Dakota 23
23 Alabama 175 52 South Dakota 22
23 Utah 168 53 Wyoming 21
25 South Carolina 165 54 Vermont 16
160 United States Minor
26 Oklahoma 55 8
Outlying Islands
27 Wisconsin 154 56 Guam 2
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
38 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
17/Younger Losses by State
Rank State Loss State Loss
1 Georgia $3,087,376 30 District of Columbia $34,840
2 Texas $1,676,326 31 Tennessee $27,917
3 Utah $1,017,481 32 North Carolina $27,457
4 Washington $758,830 33 Missouri $24,678
5 South Carolina $758,428 34 Puerto Rico $16,566
6 California $719,483 35 Louisiana $14,661
7 New York $578,293 36 Wisconsin $14,612
8 Arizona $491,722 37 Iowa $14,576
9 Illinois $269,389 38 Maryland $14,395
10 Florida $211,888 39 Wyoming $13,749
11 New Mexico $170,580 40 Indiana $10,691
12 West Virginia $153,035 41 Maine $9,345
13 Virginia $150,736 42 Idaho $7,171
14 Michigan $148,264 43 Nebraska $6,404
15 Massachusetts $101,315 44 Hawaii $6,231
16 New Jersey $85,885 45 Alaska $4,880
17 Minnesota $76,832 46 South Dakota $4,080
18 Oregon $59,874 47 Arkansas $3,479
19 Colorado $55,032 48 Mississippi $3,041
20 Ohio $53,439 49 North Dakota $2,365
21 Alabama $52,541 50 Montana $2,261
22 Kansas $47,016 51 New Hampshire $1,862
23 Pennsylvania $46,527 52 Rhode Island $1,021
24 Connecticut $43,520 52 Vermont $744
25 Nevada $40,475 52 Delaware $475
26 Oklahoma $39,442 52 Guam $0
United States Minor
27 Kentucky $37,653 52 $0
Outlying Islands
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
39 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Used in Cybercrime
Like most technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is a tool
which can be used for legitimate, helpful purposes or for
criminal motives. AI technology enables the creation of 22,364 Complaints
convincing synthetic content, such as social media
profiles and personalized conversations, often in mass $893,346,472
quantities. People have manipulated video and audio Losses
similarly for decades, but the widespread availability of
this developing technology makes it possible to create
high-quality content. AI-enabled synthetic content is
becoming increasingly difficult to detect and easier to
make, which allows criminal actors to potentially conduct successful fraud schemes against
individuals, businesses, and financial institutions.
In 2025, IC3 received more than 22,000 complaints reporting AI-related information.
Adjusted losses of these complaints exceed $893 million.
How AI Could Be Used in Frauds/Scams
BEC: Chat generators can quickly create official-sounding emails mimicking a
company's CEO or other officials. These emails can contain phishing links or
directions to wire funds. Voice cloning can also be used to request wire payment or
provide employee. There are multiple BEC tactics, and not all are AI-enabled. In 2025,
businesses reported losses over $30 million to BEC scams involving AI.
Confidence/Romance Scams: Scammers are creating fake profiles and scripts
produced by AI chat generators to make speech more believable. In 2025, victims lost
over $19 million to Confidence/Romance scams with a likely AI-nexus. This type of
scam also includes grandparent scams, or “distress” scams, in which voice cloning
technology is used to mimic the sound of a loved one in distress. Victims claimed
losses over $5 million in 2025 to distress scams. This type of scam is evolving to
mimic other family members or close friends in different types of emergency
scenarios.
40 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Employment: The use of voice spoofing, or potentially voice deepfakes, during online
interviews of the potential applicants. In these interviews, the actions and lip
movement of the person interviewed on-camera do not completely coordinate with
the audio of the person speaking. At times, actions such as coughing, sneezing, or
other auditory actions are not aligned with what is presented visually. From IC3
complaint data, there does not seem to be significant dollar loss associated as the
goal generally appears to be gaining access to private computer networks. In 2025,
victims reported losses of almost $13 million to AI-involved employment type scams.
.
Investment Scams: Subjects in investment scams often use AI to enhance their
conversations with potential victims allowing the scammers to quickly generate
thousands of conversations that appear different to each prospective victim.
Investment clubs employ AI-generated videos and voices of celebrities, CEOs, or
trusted figures to create fraudulent, high-stakes opportunities. These scams often
feature fake, professional-looking endorsements on social media or in video calls. This
makes it harder for victims to detect they are in a scam. In 2025, losses in Investment
complaints with a reported AI-nexus, surpassed $632 million. However, overall losses
to Investment scams exceeded $8 billion, demonstrating that many victims do not
realize the extent AI may be involved in scams.
Read More
IC3 - Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud
IC3 - Criminals Using Altered Proof-of-Life Media to Extort Victims in Virtual Kidnapping for
Ransom Scams
IC3 - Fraudsters Target US Stock Investors through Investment Clubs Accessed on Social
Media and Messaging Applications
Infographic; ABA Foundation and FBI Release New Infographic to Help Americans Spot and
Avoid Deepfake Scams
41 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
AI References by Complaint Count
Crime Type Complaint Crime Type Complaint
s s
Investment 4,356 BEC 135
Extortion 1,764 Real Estate 115
Personal Data Breach 1,204 Advanced Fee 105
Phishing/Spoofing 803 Threats of Violence 95
IPR/Copyright and
Harassment/Stalking 763 63
Counterfeit
Employment 691 Data Breach 60
Lottery/Sweepstakes/
Confidence/Romance 626 54
Inheritance
Non-Payment/
609 Malware 42
Non-Delivery
Tech/Customer Support 574 Charity 19
Other 504 Ransomware 16
Identity Theft 460 SIM Swap 14
Government
260 Overpayment 13
Impersonation
Credit Card/Check Fraud 139 Botnet 12
Descriptors
Crimes Against Children 214
Cryptocurrency 7,623
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
42 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
AI References by Complaint Loss
Crime Type Loss Crime Type Loss
Investment $632,041,188 Extortion $2,940,642
BEC $30,256,592 Real Estate $2,699,085
Tech/Customer Support $19,457,078 Credit Card/Check Fraud $1,836,105
Confidence/Romance $19,041,653 Identity Theft $1,643,308
Personal Data Breach $18,767,964 Advanced Fee $1,642,712
Employment $12,550,185 Harassment/Stalking $1,445,378
Other $11,750,591 Malware $1,248,199
Phishing/Spoofing $10,283,732 Botnet $697,226
IPR/Copyright and
$10,103,789 Charity $531,455
Counterfeit
Government
$7,061,628 SIM Swap $13,082
Impersonation
Lottery/Sweepstakes/
$4,486,965 Threats of Violence $9,576
Inheritance
Data Breach $4,319,380 Overpayment $4,719
Non-Payment/
$3,726,777 Ransomware $0
Non-Delivery
Descriptors
Crimes Against Children $9,866
Cryptocurrency $658,714,247
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
43 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
44 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
IC3 Elder Fraud – Complaints filed by
Individuals 60+
17
201,266 Complaints
37% FROM 2024
$7.748 Billion in Losses
59% FROM 2024
$38,500 Average Loss
12,444 Complainants Lost > $100K
18
Complainants 60+ Reporting to IC3 Losses Victims
250,000 $8,000,000,000
$7,000,000,000
200,000
$6,000,000,000
$5,000,000,000
150,000
$4,000,000,000
100,000
$3,000,000,000
$2,000,000,000
50,000
$1,000,000,000
0 $0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
17
Accessibility Description: Describes Elder Fraud highlights: 201,266 complaints (37% increase from 2024); $7,748 billion losses (59%
increase from 2024); $38,500 average loss; 12,444 complainants lost more than $100K.
18
Accessibility Description: Chart describes counts and losses for those reporting as 60+ from 2018 to 2025. Please see Appendix B and
C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
45 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Crime Types Reported by 60+
Complainants 60+
Crime Type Count Crime Type Count
Phishing/Spoofing 48,064 Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance 2,785
Tech/Customer Support 21,333 Real Estate 2,473
Investment 16,926 Advanced Fee 2,020
Personal Data Breach 11,705 Harassment/Stalking 1,160
Confidence/Romance 10,188 Overpayment 477
Non-Payment/Non-Delivery 9,743 Ransomware 358
Extortion 9,111 Data Breach 350
Government Impersonation 8,628 Threats of Violence 349
Identity Theft 5,359 IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit 316
Credit Card/Check Fraud 5,200 SIM Swap 222
Business Email Compromise* 4,566 Malware 138
Other 3,001 Charity 126
Employment 2,853 Botnet 36
Descriptors
Cryptocurrency 42,271
AI Related 3,143
Crimes Against Children 94
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
46 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Crime Types Reported by 60+ , continued
Complainants 60+ Losses
Crime Type Loss Crime Type Loss
Investment $3,519,296,354 Advanced Fee $65,877,660
Tech/Customer Support $1,040,730,043 Extortion $54,309,050
Confidence/Romance $584,032,745 Data Breach $48,555,751
Business Email
$568,048,472 Identity Theft $48,546,133
Compromise
Government
$413,206,251 Overpayment $8,045,862
Impersonation
Personal Data Breach $324,470,413 SIM Swap $6,741,791
Other $153,412,996 Ransomware $5,644,789
Lottery/Sweepstakes/ IPR/Copyright and
$136,328,519 $4,493,512
Inheritance Counterfeit
Non-Payment/
$127,041,813 Charity $3,474,668
Non-Delivery
Real Estate $123,671,936 Malware $3,433,325
Employment $78,712,899 Harassment/Stalking $3,134,436
Phishing/Spoofing $77,020,936 Botnet $945,812
Credit Card/Check Fraud $71,880,416 Threats of Violence $394,040
Descriptors
Cryptocurrency $4,347,081,557
AI Related $352,496,231
Crimes Against Children $5,806,300
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
47 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Three Year Comparison
60+ Complaint Count
Crime Type 2025 2024 2023
Advanced Fee 2,020 1,897 1,951
Business Email Compromise 4,566 3,300 3,080
Botnet 36 23 17
Charity 126 * *
Confidence/Romance 10,188 7,626 6,740
Credit Card/Check Fraud 5,200 3,226 3,182
Data Breach 350 300 336
Employment 2,853 1,928 1,079
Extortion 9,111 12,618 5,396
Government Impersonation 8,628 4,521 3,517
Harassment/Stalking 1,160 696 568
Identity Theft 5,359 4,064 3,010
Investment 16,926 9,448 6,443
IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit 316 163 152
Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance 2,785 1,711 1,771
Malware 138 45 67
Non-Payment/Non-Delivery 9,743 7,646 6,693
Other 3,001 2,017 1,447
Overpayment 477 527 698
Personal Data Breach 11,705 9,827 7,333
Phishing/Spoofing 48,064 23,252 2,856
Ransomware 358 208 175
Real Estate 2,473 1,765 1,498
SIM Swap 222 205 174
Tech/Customer Support 21,334 16,777 17,696
Threats of Violence 348 111 115
Cryptocurrency 42,271 33,369 16,968
AI Related 3,143 * *
Crimes Against Children 94 25 26
* Crime Type or Descriptor was not captured in these years.
48 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Three Year Comparison , continued
60+ Complaint Losses
Crime Type 2025 2024 2023
Advanced Fee $65,877,660 $41,622,868 $67,923,263
Business Email Compromise $568,048,472 $385,001,099 $382,372,731
Botnet $945,812 $14,852 $23,142
Charity $3,474,668 * *
Confidence Fraud/Romance $584,032,745 $389,312,356 $356,888,968
Credit Card/Check Fraud $71,880,416 $33,813,267 $37,862,023
Data Breach $48,555,751 $28,546,213 $23,913,130
Employment $78,712,899 $37,882,347 $6,835,684
Extortion $54,309,050 $24,901,693 $23,093,451
Government Impersonation $413,206,251 $208,096,366 $179,646,103
Harassment/Stalking $3,134,436 $713,693 $1,930,347
Identity Theft $48,546,133 $28,463,106 $34,551,900
Investment $3,519,296,354 $1,834,242,515 $1,243,010,600
IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit $4,493,512 $1,076,710 $183,169
Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance $136,328,519 $75,897,926 $67,396,206
Malware $3,433,325 $187,911 $261,144
Non-Payment/Non-Delivery $127,041,813 $76,794,753 $59,018,965
Other $153,412,996 $111,300,637 $72,707,042
Overpayment $8,045,862 $5,900,921 $7,496,049
Personal Data Breach $324,470,413 $254,187,196 $109,724,027
Phishing/Spoofing $77,020,936 $20,202,521 $3,355,436
Ransomware $5,644,789 $43,199 $635,548
Real Estate $123,671,936 $76,324,236 $65,634,851
SIM Swap $6,741,791 $6,342,329 $15,148,072
Tech/Customer Support $1,040,879,243 $982,440,006 $589,759,770
Threats of Violence $244,840 $300,488 $5,128,768
Cryptocurrency $4,347,081,557 $2,839,333,197 $1,653,484,444
AI Related $352,496,231 * *
Crimes Against Children $5,806,300 $231,600 $1,159,939
* Crime Type or Descriptor was not captured in these years.
49 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Overall State Statistics for 60+
Counts by State from Complainants 60+*
Rank State Count State Count
1 California 22,157 30 Alabama 2,057
2 Florida 17,147 31 Kansas 2,013
3 Texas 14,410 32 Louisiana 1,906
4 Arizona 9,834 33 Arkansas 1,658
5 New York 8,537 34 New Mexico 1,449
6 Illinois 7,701 35 Iowa 1,202
7 Pennsylvania 7,088 36 Idaho 1,136
8 Ohio 6,948 37 New Hampshire 1,063
9 North Carolina 5,942 38 Mississippi 959
10 Michigan 5,731 39 West Virginia 931
11 Virginia 5,509 40 Hawaii 917
12 Massachusetts 5,463 41 Montana 814
13 Washington 5,392 42 Delaware 796
14 Georgia 4,865 43 Nebraska 781
15 Maryland 4,573 44 Maine 721
16 Indiana 4,199 45 Alaska 666
17 New Jersey 4,111 46 Rhode Island 581
18 Colorado 4,061 47 Vermont 436
19 Tennessee 3,525 48 South Dakota 398
20 Missouri 3,247 49 Wyoming 397
21 South Carolina 3,136 50 District of Columbia 382
22 Wisconsin 3,014 51 Puerto Rico 351
23 Nevada 3,008 52 North Dakota 251
24 Oregon 2,910 53 United States Minor 33
25 Minnesota 2,550 54 Outlying
U.S. Islands
Virgin Islands. 24
26 Oklahoma 2,449 55 Guam 18
27 Connecticut 2,360 56 American Samoa 4
28 Utah 2,341 57 Northern Mariana Islands 3
29 Kentucky 2,127
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
50 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Overall State Statistics for 60+, continued
Losses by State from Complainants 60+*
Rank State Loss State Loss
1 California $1,403,975,91 30 New Mexico $55,820,259
2 Florida 1
$709,823,172 31 Kansas $55,730,977
3 Texas $678,564,081 32 Hawaii $55,385,929
4 New York $408,741,632 33 Oklahoma $53,333,350
5 Arizona $343,984,935 34 Iowa $44,136,901
6 New Jersey $249,808,786 35 Idaho $37,394,229
7 Virginia $220,941,233 36 Arkansas $36,958,369
8 Georgia $218,218,618 37 Louisiana $35,856,847
9 Pennsylvania $215,887,466 38 Mississippi $33,087,218
10 Illinois $189,491,209 39 Montana $31,773,898
11 Washington $179,706,909 40 Nebraska $28,430,567
12 Maryland $176,380,737 41 New Hampshire $25,068,671
13 Michigan $169,931,948 42 Maine $23,317,413
14 North Carolina $164,214,173 43 Rhode Island $21,561,918
15 Ohio $163,748,647 44 West Virginia $18,953,441
16 Colorado $144,529,956 45 Alaska $16,252,410
17 Nevada $115,267,384 46 Delaware $16,189,240
18 Massachusetts $113,880,471 47 South Dakota $14,708,875
19 Minnesota $111,387,313 48 District of Columbia $10,077,243
20 Tennessee $108,305,976 49 Vermont $8,548,782
21 South Carolina $97,344,480 50 Puerto Rico $8,167,452
22 Wisconsin $92,041,492 51 Wyoming $5,923,260
23 Missouri $91,563,419 52 North Dakota $5,895,155
24 Indiana $81,517,309 53 United States Minor $2,886,025
25 Oregon $77,481,475 54 Outlying
U.S. Islands
Virgin Islands $1,088,540
26 Connecticut $73,178,714 55 Guam $380,178
27 Utah $65,946,070 56 American Samoa $46,362
28 Kentucky $64,441,069 57 Northern Mariana $15,500
29 Alabama $58,838,411 Islands
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
51 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
52 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Complaints Involving Cryptocurrency - 2025
19
181,565 Complaints
21% FROM 2024
$11.366 Billion in Losses
22% FROM 2024
18,589 Complainants Lost >$100K
$62,604 Average Loss
20
Crypto Counts by Age Range Crypto Losses by Age Range
44,555
60+ $4,432,224,488
50 - 59 $2,139,033,232
27,598 29,749 25,453
40 - 49 $1,552,700,119
18,107
30 - 39 $861,551,625
3,508
20 - 29 $288,875,060
Under 20 - 29 30 - 39 40 - 49 50 - 59 60+ Under 20 $26,955,462
20
21
200,000
IC3 Complaints with Cryptocurrency Nexus $12
$ Losses # of Complaints
175,000
Billions
$10
150,000
$8
125,000
100,000 $6
75,000
$4
50,000
$2
25,000
0 $0
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
19
Accessibility Description: Describes Cryptocurrency highlights: 181,565 complaints (21% increase from 2024); $11.366 billion in
losses (22% increase from 2024), $62,604 average loss, 18,589 complainants lost more than $100,000
20
Accessibility Description: Charts describe the count and losses associated with complaints reporting cryptocurrency by age range.
21
Accessibility Description: Chart describes complaint counts and loss with a cryptocurrency nexus from 2017 to 2025.
53 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Cryptocurrency Fraud Trends
Crypto Investment Fraud
Cryptocurrency Investment Reported by Age Group
61,559 Complaints; $7.228 billion Age Group Count Losses
----- Under 20 629 $12,582,997
48% Increase in Complaints from 2024
20 - 29 4,627 $117,353,587
25% Increase in Losses from 2024
----- 30 - 39 8,576 $412,626,617
New Scam Center Strike Force Battles 40 - 49 10,750 $924,623,370
Southeast Asian Crypto Investment Fraud 50 - 59 9,856 $1,383,263,248
Targeting Americans | United States
60+ 13,685 $2,763,921,910
Department of Justice
Crypto ATM/Kiosk Use
Cryptocurrency ATMs/Kiosks Reported by Age Group
13,460 Complaints; $389 million in Losses Age Group Count Losses
------
Under 20 58 $124,013
23% Increase in Complaints from 2024
58% Increase in Losses from 2024 20 - 29 825 $6,474,240
------ 30 - 39 1,275 $10,936,943
The FBI Warns of Fraudulent Schemes
Leveraging Cryptocurrency ATMs and QR 40 - 49 1,472 $20,826,227
Codes to Facilitate Payment 50 – 59 1,524 $44,584,724
60+ 6,188 $257,466,130
Recovery Scams
Recovery Scams Reported by Age Group
10,516 Complaints; $1.4 billion in Losses Age Group Count Losses*
------
Under 20 106 $3,825,212
Increase in complaints reporting
impersonation of government officials and 20 - 29 841 $22,498,411
recovery firms. 30 - 39 1,511 $76,183,433
------ 40 - 49 1,977 $194,670,794
Fictitious Law Firms Targeting 50 – 59
Cryptocurrency Scam Victims Combine 1,706 $298,233,813
Multiple Exploitation Tactics While 60+ 2,529 $540,505,980
*Losses may also include losses
Offering to Recover Funds experienced from previous scams
FBI Warns of Scammers Impersonating which prompted the contact with
the recovery company.
the IC3
54 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Crime Types with Cryptocurrency Nexus
Complaints
Crime Type Count Crime Type Count
Investment 61,559 Ransomware 902
Extortion 23,797 Credit Card/Check Fraud 901
Tech/Customer Support 17,355 Data Breach 866
Personal Data Breach 13,486 Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance 826
Employment 10,338 Real Estate 715
Phishing/Spoofing 7,164 Harassment/Stalking 711
Government Impersonation 5,955 Overpayment 304
Confidence/Romance 5,925 Threats of Violence 210
Non-Payment/Non-Delivery 4,761 Malware 196
Other 2,332 IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit 182
Advanced Fee 2,319 SIM Swap 121
Identity Theft 1,656 Charity 65
Business Email Compromise 1,526 Botnet 53
Descriptor
AI Related 8,712
Crimes Against Children 276
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
55 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Crime Types with Cryptocurrency Nexus, continued
Losses
Crime Type Loss Crime Type Loss
Lottery/Sweepstakes/
Investment $7,277,868,919 $29,765,165
Inheritance
Tech/Customer Support $1,226,298,080 Real Estate $25,169,423
Personal Data Breach $939,398,686 Ransomware $17,068,810
Confidence/Romance $394,787,515 Identity Theft $16,995,129
Employment $288,199,807 Malware $15,693,486
Government Credit Card/Check
$281,146,737 $13,423,130
Impersonation Fraud
Other $147,700,762 Threats of Violence $7,375,785
Phishing/Spoofing $111,025,191 Overpayment $6,356,416
Data Breach $95,861,120 Harassment/Stalking $4,682,411
Business Email
$83,771,329 SIM Swap $4,405,259
Compromise
Non-Payment/ IPR/Copyright and
$76,196,341 $4,020,461
Non-Delivery Counterfeit
Advanced Fee $67,554,554 Charity $3,221,048
Extortion $63,195,612 Botnet $60,916
Descriptor
AI Related $741,639,787
Crimes Against Children $596,843
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
56 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Overall State Statistics
Cryptocurrency Complaints by State
Rank State Count State Count
1 California 20,878 30 Kentucky 1,453
2 Texas 13,965 31 Louisiana 1,366
3 Florida 13,381 32 Arkansas 1,084
4 New York 8,088 33 Kansas 1,057
5 Pennsylvania 5,118 34 Idaho 1,023
6 Arizona 4,936 35 New Mexico 914
7 Ohio 4,925 36 Puerto Rico 903
8 Illinois 4,910 37 Iowa 887
9 Washington 4,589 38 Hawaii 826
10 Georgia 4,492 39 Mississippi 815
11 New Jersey 4,459 40 New Hampshire 767
12 North Carolina 4,340 41 Nebraska 730
13 Virginia 4,246 42 South Dakota 603
14 Colorado 4,066 43 Montana 590
15 Michigan 3,648 44 West Virginia 556
16 Maryland 3,226 45 Maine 524
17 Wisconsin 3,092 46 Alaska 482
18 Massachusetts 2,983 47 District of Columbia 448
19 Tennessee 2,854 48 Delaware 436
20 Nevada 2,518 49 Rhode Island 414
21 Missouri 2,500 50 North Dakota 300
22 Minnesota 2,253 51 Wyoming 273
23 Indiana 2,211 52 Vermont 212
24 South Carolina 2,176 53 Guam 26
25 Oregon 2,175 53 United States Minor Outlying 26
Islands
26 Utah 1,833 55 Virgin Islands, U.S. 22
27 Alabama 1,687 56 American Samoa 8
28 Oklahoma 1,581 57 Northern Mariana Islands 2
29 Connecticut 1,480
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
57 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Overall State Statistics, continued
Cryptocurrency Losses by State
Rank State Loss State Loss
1 California $2,099,014,715 30 Kansas $78,062,429
2 Texas $1,016,062,841 31 Oklahoma $62,394,493
3 Florida $914,525,497 32 Kentucky $60,156,299
4 New York $593,370,013 33 Louisiana $53,679,269
5 Oregon $545,938,510 34 Idaho $48,296,733
6 New Jersey $383,662,185 35 New Mexico $45,229,204
7 Arizona $346,269,314 36 Arkansas $44,064,469
8 Pennsylvania $292,893,338 37 Iowa $43,685,423
9 Georgia $264,502,467 38 Mississippi $38,286,775
10 Washington $263,067,281 39 District of Columbia $37,013,584
11 Virginia $261,243,361 40 New Hampshire $36,481,772
12 Illinois $257,919,562 41 Maine $35,795,026
13 Maryland $246,476,431 42 Montana $35,136,688
14 North Carolina $229,649,863 43 Nebraska $34,861,429
15 Michigan $210,230,468 44 Delaware $26,893,098
16 Ohio $208,874,675 45 Puerto Rico $24,234,782
17 Nevada $205,388,286 46 West Virginia $23,208,701
18 Colorado $202,127,121 47 South Dakota $23,169,159
19 Massachusetts $180,158,815 48 North Dakota $20,083,064
20 Minnesota $151,658,166 49 Alaska $18,610,389
21 Tennessee $142,006,339 50 Rhode Island $14,125,096
22 South Carolina $118,509,954 51 Wyoming $13,695,308
23 Missouri $108,769,750 52 Vermont $7,532,107
24 Utah $107,495,105 53 Virgin Islands, U.S. $1,056,161
United States Minor
25 Indiana $99,629,036 54 $1,045,183
Outlying Islands
26 Alabama $93,813,940 55 Guam $696,853
27 Connecticut $91,039,266 56 American Samoa $105,197
28 Wisconsin $87,426,944 57 Northern Mariana $1,000
29 Hawaii $79,759,336 Islands
Please see Appendix B and C for additional information related to IC3 complaint data, crime types, and descriptors.
58 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Appendix A: About IC3
Today’s FBI is an intelligence-driven and threat-focused national security organization with
both intelligence and law enforcement responsibilities. The FBI is focused on protecting the
American people from terrorism, espionage, cyber-attacks, and major criminal threats,
which are increasingly emanating from our digitally connected world. To do that, the FBI
leverages IC3 as a mechanism to gather intelligence on cybercrime so that we can provide
the public and our many partners with information, services, support, training, and
leadership to stay ahead of the threat.
Every day, IC3 receives thousands of complaints reporting a wide array of scams, many of
them targeting our most vulnerable populations. The information submitted to IC3 can be
impactful in the individual complaints, but it is most impactful in the aggregate. That is, when
the individual complaints are combined with other data, it allows the FBI to connect
complaints, investigate reported crimes, track trends and threats, and, in some cases, even
freeze stolen funds. Just as importantly, IC3 shares reports of crime throughout its vast
network of FBI field offices and law enforcement partners, strengthening our nation’s
collective response both locally and nationally.
IC3 was established in May 2000 to receive complaints crossing the spectrum of cyber
matters, to include cyber threats and cyber-enabled fraud in their many forms such as
ransomware, intrusions (hacking), extortion, international money laundering, investment
fraud, and a growing list of crimes. As of this publication, IC3 has received over 10 million
complaints. IC3’s mission is to provide the public and our partners with a reliable and
convenient reporting mechanism to submit information concerning suspected cyber-
enabled criminal activity and to develop effective alliances with law enforcement and
industry partners to help those who report. Information is analyzed and disseminated for
investigative and intelligence purposes for law enforcement and public awareness.
To promote public awareness and as part of its prevention mission, IC3 aggregates the
submitted data and produces an annual report on the trends impacting the public as well as
routinely providing intelligence reports about trends. The success of these efforts is directly
related to the quality of the data submitted by the public through the IC3.gov interface. Their
efforts help IC3, and the FBI, better protect their fellow citizens.
Frauds and scams will continue to evolve, but many characteristics of these schemes
remain the same even as new trends develop. Review previous IC3 Annual Reports, PSAs,
and Industry Alerts to further educate and protect yourself, as well as your family, friends,
and community.
59 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Appendix B: Definitions and Descriptors
Definitions
Advanced Fee Fraud: An individual pays money to someone in anticipation of receiving
something of greater value in return but instead receives significantly less than expected or
nothing.
Business Email Compromise (BEC): BEC is a scam targeting businesses or individuals
working with suppliers and/or businesses regularly performing wire transfer payments.
These sophisticated scams are carried out by fraudsters by compromising email accounts
and other forms of communication such as phone numbers and virtual meeting
applications, through social engineering or computer intrusion techniques to conduct
unauthorized transfer of funds.
Botnet: A botnet is a group of two or more computers controlled and updated remotely for
an illegal purchase such as a Distributed Denial of Service or Telephony Denial of Service
attack or other nefarious activity.
Charity: Using deception to get money from individuals believing they are making donations
to legitimate charities and/or charities representing victims of natural disasters shortly after
the incident occurs.
Confidence/Romance Fraud: An individual believes they are in a relationship (family,
friendly, or romantic) and are tricked into sending money, personal and financial information,
or items of value to the perpetrator or to launder money or items to assist the perpetrator.
This includes the Grandparent’s Scheme and any scheme in which the perpetrator preys on
the targeted individual’s “heartstrings.”
Credit Card Fraud/Check Fraud: Credit card fraud is a wide-ranging term for theft and fraud
committed using a credit card or any similar payment mechanism (ACH, EFT, recurring
charge, etc.) as a fraudulent source of funds in a transaction.
Data Breach: A data breach in cyber context is the use of a computer intrusion to acquire
confidential or secure information. This does not include computer intrusions targeting
personally owned computers, systems, devices, or personal accounts such as social media
or financial accounts.
Employment Fraud: An individual believes they are legitimately employed and loses money,
or launders money/items during their employment.
Extortion: Unlawful extraction of money or property through intimidation or undue exercise
of authority. It may include threats of physical harm, criminal prosecution, or public
exposure.
Government Impersonation: A government official is impersonated to collect or extort
money.
Harassment/Stalking: Repeated words, conduct, and/or action that serve no legitimate
purpose and are directed at a specific person to annoy, alarm, or distress that person.
Engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable
60 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
person to fear for his/her safety or the safety of others or suffer substantial emotional
distress.
Identity Theft: Someone wrongfully obtains and uses personally identifiable information in
some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain.
Investment Fraud: Deceptive practice that induces investors to make purchases based on
false information. These scams usually offer those targeted large returns with minimal risk.
(Retirement, 401K, Ponzi, Pyramid, etc.).
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)/Copyright and Counterfeit: The illegal theft and use of
others’ ideas, inventions, and creative expressions – what’s called intellectual property –
everything from trade secrets and proprietary products and parts to movies, music, and
software.
Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance Fraud: An individual is contacted about winning a
lottery or sweepstakes they never entered, or to collect on an inheritance from an unknown
relative.
Malware: Software or code intended to damage, disable, or capable of copying itself onto a
computer and/or computer systems to have a detrimental effect or destroy data.
Non-Payment/Non-Delivery Fraud: Goods or services are shipped, and payment is never
rendered (non-payment). Payment is sent, and goods or services are never received, or are
of less quality (non-delivery).
Other: Criminal or civil matters not currently designated as an IC3 crime type.
Overpayment: An individual is sent a payment/commission and is instructed to keep a
portion of the payment and send the remainder to another individual or business.
Personal Data Breach: A leak/spill of personal data which is released from a secure location
to an untrusted environment. Also, a security incident in which an individual’s sensitive,
protected, or confidential data is copied, transmitted, viewed, stolen, or used by an
unauthorized individual.
Phishing/Spoofing: The use of unsolicited email, text messages, and telephone calls
purportedly from a legitimate company requesting personal, financial, and/or login
credentials.
Ransomware: A type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system
until money is paid.
Real Estate Fraud: Loss of funds from a real estate investment or fraud involving rental or
timeshare property.
SIM Swap: The use of unsophisticated social engineering techniques against mobile service
providers to transfer a victim’s phone service to a mobile device in the criminal’s possession.
Tech/Customer Support Fraud: Subject posing as technical or customer support/service.
Threats of Violence: An expression of an intention to inflict pain, injury, self-harm, or death
not in the context of extortion.
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Descriptors
A Descriptor relates to the medium or tool used to facilitate crime and is used by IC3 for
tracking purposes only. It is available as a descriptor only after a crime type has been
selected.
AI Related: Information reported contains a reference to artificial intelligence (AI).
Crimes Against Children: Related to the sexual abuse/exploitation of children, including
child abuse, of complainants age 17 or younger. This descriptor can also be applied when a
person from another age group is reporting a crime against a child on behalf of the
complainant.
Cryptocurrency: Information reported contains some reference to virtual currency.
62 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Appendix C: Additional Information about IC3 Data
• As appropriate, complaints are reviewed by IC3 analysts who apply descriptive data,
such as crime type and adjusted loss.
• Descriptive data for complaints, such as crime type or loss, is variable and can evolve
based upon investigative or analytical proceedings. Statistics are an assessment taken
at a point in time, which may change.
• Complainants are not required to provide an age range. Not all complaints include an
associated age range. Those without this information are excluded from tables depicting
age ranges.
• Each complaint will only have one crime type.
• Complainant is identified as the individual filing a complaint.
• Some complainants may have filed more than once, creating a possible duplicate
complaint. Losses are de-duplicated as much as possible.
• Losses reported in foreign currencies are converted to U.S. dollars when possible.
• Regarding Ransomware adjusted losses: This number does not include estimates of lost
business, time, wages, files, or equipment, or any third-party remediation services
acquired by an entity. In some cases, entities do not report any loss amount to the FBI,
thereby creating an artificially low overall ransomware loss rate. Lastly, the number only
represents what entities report to the FBI via IC3 and do not account for the entity directly
reporting to FBI field offices/agents.
• Regarding Business Email Compromise counts: A whole number is given to depict the
overall complaint count and includes when a 60+ complainant may be reporting on
behalf of a business or personally.
• All location-based reports are generated from information entered when known/provided
by the complainant.
o Regarding State-related statistics: This information is based on the total number of
complaints from each state, American Territory, and the District of Columbia when
the complainant provided state information.
o Complaint counts represent the number of individual complaints received from each
state and do not represent the number of individuals filing a complaint.
o Per 100K Citizens: This information is based on the estimated 2025 Census estimated
data and the total number of complaints from each state, the District of Columbia,
and Puerto Rico for which the complainant provided state information.
https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-
total.html#v2025
63 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Appendix D: Public Service Announcements Published in 2025
Title Date
Threat of Copycat Attacks after ISIS-Inspired Vehicle Attack in New Orleans 13-Jan-25
Beware of Charitable Fraud Related to Mass Casualty and Disaster Events 16-Jan-25
North Korean IT Workers Conducting Data Extortion 23-Jan-25
Mail Theft-Related Check Fraud is on the Rise 27-Jan-25
North Korea Responsible for $1.5 Billion Bybit Hack 26-Feb-25
Safety Concerns Related to Fraudulent Compounding Practices Associated with 28-Feb-25
Weight Loss Drugs
Beijing Leveraging Freelance Hackers and Information Security Companies to 5-Mar-25
Compromise Computer Networks Worldwide
Mail Scam Targeting Corporate Executives Claims Ties to Ransomware 6-Mar-25
Violent Online Networks Target Vulnerable and Underage Populations Across the 6-Mar-25
United States and Around the Globe
Individuals Target Tesla Vehicles and Dealerships Nationwide with Arson, Gunfire, 21-Mar-25
and Vandalism
Criminal Actors Steal US Taxpayer Identity to File False Tax Returns and Claim 2-Apr-25
Refunds
FBI Warns of Scammers Impersonating the IC3 18-Apr-25
FBI Seeking Tips about PRC-Targeting of US Telecommunications 24-Apr-25
(简体中文版) (繁體中文版)
Cyber Criminals Impersonating Employee Self-Service Websites to Steal Victim 24-Apr-25
Information and Funds
Threat Actors Use "Swatting" to Target Victims Nationwide 29-Apr-25
Emerging Discount Medical Insurance Scams 30-Apr-25
Cyber Criminal Proxy Services Exploiting End of Life Routers 7-May-25
Impersonation Scheme Targeting Middle Eastern Students in the United States 13-May-25
Senior US Officials Impersonated in Malicious Messaging Campaign 15-May-25
Cyber Criminals Defraud Hedera Hashgraph Network Non-Custodial Wallet Users 3-Jun-25
Through Nonfungible Token Airdrops Disguised as Free Rewards
64 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
Recent Attacks Highlight Elevated Threat to Israeli and Jewish Communities 5-Jun-25
Home Internet Connected Devices Facilitate Criminal Activity 5-Jun-25
Criminals Posing as Legitimate Health Insurers and Fraud Investigators to Commit 27-Jun-25
Health Care Fraud
Fraudsters Target US Stock Investors through Investment Clubs Accessed on Social 3-Jul-25
Media and Messaging Applications
North Korean IT Worker Threats to U.S. Businesses 23-Jul-25
The Com: Theft, Extortion, and Violence are a Rising Threat to Youth Online 23-Jul-25
Hacker Com: Cyber Criminal Subset of The Community (Com) is a Rising Threat to 23-Jul-25
Youth Online
In Real Life (IRL) Com: Violent Subset of The Community (Com) is a Rising Threat to 23-Jul-25
Youth Online
Unsolicited Packages Containing QR Codes Used to Initiate Fraud Schemes 31-Jul-25
Fictitious Law Firms Targeting Cryptocurrency Scam Victims Combine Multiple 13-Aug-25
Exploitation Tactics While Offering to Recover Funds
Russian Government Cyber Actors Targeting Networking Devices, Critical 20-Aug-25
Infrastructure
ABA Foundation and FBI Release New Infographic to Help Americans Spot and Avoid 4-Sep-25
Deepfake Scams
Threat Actors Spoofing the FBI IC3 Website for Possible Malicious Activity 19-Sep-25
Criminals Impersonate US Health Insurance Providers and Chinese Law 13-Nov-25
Enforcement to Target Chinese Speakers Residing in the United States
(简体中文版)
Criminals Using Altered Proof-of-Life Media to Extort Victims in Virtual Kidnapping 5-Dec-25
for Ransom Scams
Great Odds, High Risk: The FBI Encourages U.S. Bettors to Know the Risks of Illegal 17-Dec-25
Gambling
Senior U.S. Officials Continue to be Impersonated in Malicious Messaging Campaign 19-Dec-25
65 2 0 25 I C 3 AN NUA L R EPORT
Appendix E: Industry Alerts Published in 2025
Title Date
Secure by Demand: Priority Considerations for Operational Technology Owners and
13-Jan-25
Operators when Selecting Digital Products
Product Security Bad Practices 17-Jan-25
Threat Actors Chained Vulnerabilities in Ivanti Cloud Service Applications 22-Jan-25
Guidance on Digital Forensics and Protective Monitoring Specifications for Producers of
4-Feb-25
Network Devices and Appliances
Malicious Cyber Actors Use Buffer Overflow Vulnerabilities to Compromise Software 12-Feb-25
#StopRansomware: Ghost (Cring) Ransomware 19-Feb-25
#StopRansomware: Medusa Ransomware 12-Mar-25
Fast Flux: A National Security Threat 3-Apr-25
BADBAZAAR and MOONSHINE: Spyware Targeting Uyghur, Taiwanese, and Tibetan
9-Apr-25
Groups and Civil Society Actors
Phishing Domains Associated with LabHost PhaaS Platform Users 29-Apr-25
(LabHost Domains)
Primary Mitigations to Reduce Cyber Threats to Operational Technology 6-May-25
Cyber Criminal Services Target End-of-Life Routers to Launch Attacks and Hide Their
7-May-25
Activities
Threat Actors Deploy LummaC2 Malware to Exfiltrate Sensitive Data from Organizations 21-May-25
Russian GRU Targeting Western Logistics Entities and Technology Companies 21-May-25
AI Data Security 22-May-25
Silent Ransom Group Targeting Law Firms 23-May-25
Infrastructure Used to Manage Domains Related to Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud
Scams between October 2023 and April 2025 29-May-25
(Funnull Technology Inc. Associated (Complete List of Domains Attributed to
CAMEs) Funnull)
#StopRansomware: Play Ransomware 4-Jun-25
People's Republic of China Cyber Threat Activity 20-Jun-25
Iranian Cyber Actors May Target Vulnerable US Networks and Entities of Interest 30-Jun-25
66 F ED ER A L BU R EAU OF I NV E STIGATIO N
#StopRansomware: Interlock 22-Jul-25
Scattered Spider 29-Jul-25
Foundations for OT Cybersecurity: Asset Inventory Guidance for Owners and Operators 13-Aug-25
Countering Chinese State-Sponsored Actors Compromise of Networks Worldwide to
27-Aug-25
Feed Global Espionage System
Cyber Criminal Groups UNC6040 and UNC6395 Compromising Salesforce Instances for
12-Sep-25
Data Theft and Extortion
Creating and maintaining a definitive view of your Operational Technology (OT)
29-Sep-25
Architecture
#StopRansomware: Akira Ransomware 13-Nov-25
Bulletproof Defense: Mitigating Risks From Bulletproof Hosting Providers 19-Nov-25
Pro-Russia Hacktivists Conduct Opportunistic Attacks Against US and Global Critical
9-Dec-25
Infrastructure
Principles for the Secure Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Operational Technology 15-Dec-25
Appendix F: IC3 QR Codes