Investment Scam Statistics
Reported losses and complaint volumes for investment fraud — including fake trading platforms, Ponzi schemes, and advance-fee investment fraud — drawn from FTC Consumer Sentinel and FBI IC3 official reports.
Last reviewed: 7 July 2026
Investment scams promise extraordinary returns with little or no risk through fake trading platforms, fraudulent brokerage accounts, Ponzi schemes, or advance-fee fraud. They are the single highest-loss fraud category tracked by both the FTC and the FBI IC3, and losses have grown sharply in recent years as criminals combine fake romantic relationships with fabricated investment apps.
Investment fraud is significantly under-reported because victims often do not realise they have been defrauded until they attempt to withdraw funds — at which point they may be told to pay further fees or taxes. Some victims continue to invest additional funds hoping to recover earlier losses. Researchers and regulators consistently estimate that only a small minority of investment fraud victims file formal complaints.
Key figures
$8,648,617,756 in investment fraud losses across 72,984 complaints to IC3 in 2025
Investment fraud losses reported to FBI IC3 (US)
Source: FBI IC3 2025 Annual Internet Crime Report (2025)
$8,648,617,756 in reported losses to Investment fraud in 2025, up from $6,570,639,864 in 2024
Exact FBI IC3 Investment crime-type losses (US)
Source: FBI IC3 2025 Annual Internet Crime Report (2025)
Investment fraud accounted for nearly 49% of all scam-related losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025
Investment fraud share of total 2025 IC3 losses
Source: FBI press release: Cryptocurrency and AI Scams Bilk Americans of Billions (2025 Internet Crime Report) (2025)
Investment fraud complaints to the FBI IC3 rose from 47,919 in 2024 to 72,984 in 2025
Investment fraud complaint growth (2024–2025, FBI IC3)
Source: FBI IC3 2025 Annual Internet Crime Report (2025)
Victims aged 60 and over reported $3,519,296,354 in Investment fraud losses across 16,926 complaints in 2025, up from $1,834,242,515 in 2024
Older adults' investment-scam losses (US, FBI IC3)
Source: FBI IC3 2025 Annual Internet Crime Report (2025)
$7,277,868,919 in losses across 61,559 Investment complaints with a cryptocurrency nexus in 2025
Cryptocurrency-linked investment fraud losses (US, FBI IC3)
Source: FBI IC3 2025 Annual Internet Crime Report (2025)
$632,041,188 in losses across 4,356 Investment complaints with a reported AI nexus in 2025
AI-linked investment fraud losses (US, FBI IC3)
Source: FBI IC3 2025 Annual Internet Crime Report (2025)
Approximately 1,600 complaints and $160 million in losses in 2025 to investment clubs accessed through social media and messaging applications
Investment club scam losses reported to FBI IC3 (US)
Source: FBI IC3 2025 Annual Internet Crime Report (2025)
$5.7 billion in reported losses to investment scams in 2024 — the single highest-loss fraud category, up 24% from 2023
Investment scam losses reported to FTC (US)
Source: FTC Consumer Sentinel Network 2024 Data Book (2024)
Investment fraud accounted for approximately 40% of all $16.6 billion in losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2024
Investment fraud share of total 2024 IC3 losses
Source: FBI IC3 2024 Annual Internet Crime Report (2024)
Investment fraud complaints to the FBI IC3 rose 29% year-on-year, from roughly 33,000 to 42,209 between 2023 and 2024
Percentage increase in US investment fraud complaints (2023–2024, FBI IC3)
Source: FBI IC3 2024 Annual Internet Crime Report (2024)
$9,196 median loss — the highest median loss of any top-10 FTC fraud category in 2024
Median investment-scam loss reported to FTC (US)
Source: FTC Consumer Sentinel Network 2024 Data Book (2024)
Investment scams accounted for roughly $5.7 billion of the $12.5 billion in total fraud losses reported to the FTC in 2024
Investment scams as a share of total US fraud losses (FTC)
Source: FTC press release: New FTC Data Show a Big Jump in Reported Losses to Fraud to $12.5 Billion in 2024 (2024)
Older adults reported losing $538 million to investment scams — a 34% increase over 2022 — more than any other fraud type
Older adults' investment-scam losses (US, FTC)
Source: FTC Protecting Older Consumers 2023-2024 Report to Congress (2023)
Key takeaways
- The FTC recorded $5.7 billion in investment fraud losses in 2024 — the highest-loss category across all fraud types and a 24% increase over 2023.
- The FBI IC3 recorded $6.57 billion in investment fraud across 42,209 complaints — approximately 40% of all 2024 IC3 losses came from investment fraud alone.
- Many investment scams begin on social media or dating apps and combine a fake relationship with a fraudulent trading platform — a tactic known as pig butchering.
- Because victims often continue investing in the hope of recovering earlier losses, the gap between initial fraud and reporting can be months or years, compounding actual losses well beyond initial figures.
Frequently asked questions
Are investment scam losses the same as cryptocurrency fraud losses?
There is substantial overlap but they are not identical. The FBI IC3 records cryptocurrency fraud separately and notes that crypto-enabled investment fraud (primarily pig butchering) accounts for $5.8 billion of the $6.57 billion total investment fraud figure. Some investment scams — such as advance-fee fraud, Ponzi schemes, and fake stock platforms — do not involve cryptocurrency at all. Both the FTC and IC3 publish breakdowns by payment method.