People misplaced $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025, an eightfold enhance since 2020, based on a report launched Monday by the Federal Commerce Fee.
Practically 30% of People who reported being a sufferer of a rip-off final 12 months mentioned the rip-off originated on social media, with Fb most steadily being recognized because the social media platform the place the rip-off originated, based on the report. Fellow Meta-owned platforms WhatsApp and Instagram have been ranked a distant second and third, the FTC mentioned.
“In 2025, individuals reported shedding far more cash to scams on Fb alone than they reported shedding to textual content or e mail scams,” the fee mentioned.
Scams originating on Fb price individuals $794 million in 2025, whereas WhatsApp and Instagram mixed for $659 million in losses.
Representatives for Meta did not instantly reply to a request for remark.
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The FTC mentioned social media scams largely fall into three classes: funding, procuring and romance. The best amount of cash — $1.1 billion — was misplaced to funding scams typically rooted in advertisements or posts providing a program to show funding strategies.
Procuring scams have been probably the most reported social media rip-off in 2025, with greater than 40% of social media rip-off victims reporting they bought ripped off by ordering one thing they noticed in a social media advert — “every part from garments and make-up to automotive components and even puppies,” the company mentioned.
Romance scams are additionally standard on social media. Practically 60% of people that have been victimized by a romance rip-off in 2025 mentioned it originated on a social media platform. “Scammers typically tailor-made their pitch based mostly on individuals’s profiles, later inventing a disaster requiring cash or casually providing funding recommendation to attract them onto a faux funding platform,” the FTC mentioned.
All age teams, besides these 80 or older, reported shedding more cash to scams that started on social media than to some other technique of contact.
To keep away from being a sufferer of social media scams, the FTC advises individuals to restrict who can see their posts and contacts on social media. Additionally, by no means let somebody you’ve got solely met on social media make your funding choices.
And earlier than shopping for one thing you’ve got seen marketed on social media, do analysis on the corporate on the FTC.
In case you suspect you’ve got been a sufferer of a rip-off try, report it to authorities such because the FTC by its web site.
