Bank Transfer & Wire Fraud Losses
Reported fraud losses where victims paid via bank transfer, wire transfer, or ACH — consistently among the highest-loss payment categories.
Last reviewed: 7 July 2026
Bank transfers — including wire transfers and ACH payments — produce some of the largest individual fraud losses of any payment method. Once a wire transfer has settled, recovery is rare without swift action. The FBI IC3 tracks Business Email Compromise (BEC) as the dominant wire-fraud scheme, while the FTC captures broader bank-transfer losses across all fraud categories.
All figures are from named official reports and cover reported cases only.
Key figures
More than $4 billion
Bank transfer or cryptocurrency losses (FTC 2025)
Source: AARP, citing 2025 FTC Consumer Sentinel Network data (2025)
$3,046,598,558 across 24,768 complaints, up from $2,770,151,146 in 2024
Business Email Compromise losses (FBI IC3 2025)
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2025 Annual Report (2025)
3,900 incidents covering $1,163,919,846 in attempted theft, with $679,013,183 frozen — a 58% success rate
Financial Fraud Kill Chain results (FBI IC3 2025)
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2025 Annual Report (2025)
$507,042,623 frozen across 3,574 domestic incidents and $171,970,560 frozen across 326 international incidents
Financial Fraud Kill Chain: domestic and international freezes (FBI IC3 2025)
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2025 Annual Report (2025)
12,368 complaints and $275,110,419 in losses
Real estate wire fraud complaints and losses (FBI IC3 2025)
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2025 Annual Report (2025)
Together exceeded every other payment method combined in reported fraud losses
Bank transfers and cryptocurrency combined vs all other methods (FTC 2024)
Source: FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024 (2024)
$2.77 billion — a consistent top-two loss category tracked by IC3
Business Email Compromise losses (FBI IC3 2024)
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2024 Annual Report (2024)
More than $55 billion in exposed losses globally as of 2024
Cumulative BEC losses tracked by IC3 since 2015
Source: IC3 Public Service Announcement: Business Email Compromise — The $55 Billion Scam (September 2024) (2024)
$789 million in reported losses to government imposters in 2024 — often directed to bank transfers
Government impersonation scam losses paid via wire or bank transfer (FTC, 2024)
Source: FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024 (2024)
21,442 complaints
Business Email Compromise complaint count (FBI IC3 2024)
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2024 Annual Report (2024)
$848.4 million in attempted theft across 3,020 complaints, with $469.1 million frozen domestically across 2,651 complaints
Financial Fraud Kill Chain: domestic wire funds frozen (FBI IC3 2024)
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2024 Annual Report (2024)
$92.5 million frozen across 369 international complaints — a 66% overall success rate
Financial Fraud Kill Chain: international wire funds frozen (FBI IC3 2024)
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2024 Annual Report (2024)
9,359 complaints and $173,586,820 in losses
Real estate wire fraud complaints and losses (FBI IC3 2024)
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2024 Annual Report (2024)
Key takeaways
- Bank transfers and cryptocurrency together produced more reported fraud losses than all other payment methods combined in 2024 (FTC).
- Business Email Compromise — which almost exclusively results in wire losses — cost victims $2.77 billion in 2024 alone (FBI IC3).
- Cumulative global BEC losses tracked by IC3 since 2015 have exceeded $55 billion.
- Government impersonation scams directed victims to pay $789 million via bank and other payment channels in 2024.
Frequently asked questions
Can a wire transfer be recalled after a scam?
Sometimes — but only if acted on immediately. Contact your bank as soon as possible to request a wire recall. The FBI IC3's Recovery Asset Team (RAT) can work with financial institutions to freeze funds if a complaint is filed quickly. In 2024, RAT froze $561 million in fraudulently transferred funds with a 66% success rate. Speed is critical: funds are often moved within hours.