July 28, 2026 • 1 min read

The Scam Economy: The True Cost of Online Scams and Crimes in America

A Consumer Federation of America Report

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An updated report from the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) projects that Americans are losing over an estimated $148 billion every year to online scams. Over half of all reported losses involved cryptocurrency. This number is up nearly 22% since 2024. Drawing on new data from the IC3 and the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey (ACS), we estimate the true cost of scams and crimes at $1,009 per U.S. household.

The report also identifies Meta's platforms — Facebook at 57%, Instagram at 22%, and WhatsApp at 8% — as the top three online platforms associated with scams, according to the Better Business Bureau. The Global Anti-Scam Alliance has also found that 81 percent of all scam attempts in the US occurred on platforms with a direct message function.

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