- In 2024, the Americans lost $ 12.5 billion against scams, up $ 2.5 billion in annual shift
- The online scams have outperformed more traditional methods
- The elderly are no longer those who lose the most money
American citizens lost $ 12.5 billion against different types of fraud in 2024, a new report by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) American, which means that the number increased by $ 2.5 billion compared to the previous year.
Fraud does not become more frequent, says the FTC, but it becomes more expensive. One in three people who reported fraud in 2024 said he lost money, against one in four last year.
Of the 12.5 billion dollars, a huge song (more than $ 3 billion) came from online scams, strongly exceeding around $ 1.9 billion lost to more traditional scams (telephone calls, for example). Telephone calls, however, caused higher total losses, the victims losing a median of $ 1,500 per person, and the scams passing by banking transfers and payments had $ 2 billion in losses, more than any other method of payment. Cryptocurrency scams arrived second with $ 1.4 billion drained.
Investment scams
Investment scams were real money manufacturers for fraudsters, also said the FTC, with four in five people (79%) who said that an investment scam really lost money. The median loss was north of $ 9,000. Total losses against investment scams reached $ 5.7 billion, an increase of $ 1 billion compared to last year.
Social media also continues to be a major risk factor, with seven in ten people who have been contacted by crooks on social platforms that lose money. Total losses thanks to these platforms reached $ 1.9 billion, it was said.
A specific scam format – False work – has skyrocketed during the last half -receiver. Between 2020 and 2024, reports have almost tripled and losses traveled $ 90 million to $ 501 million.
Interesting, the older generation is no longer the one that loses the most money. People aged 20 to 29 said they lost money more often than any other age group. However, the elderly (70+) have undergone very worse financial damage than any other demographic group.
Via Bleeping Compompute
