A total of 113,842 investment scams have been reported through the third quarter of 2025, resulting in losses of $6.1 billion for consumers. That puts this year on pace to surpass 2024, during which a record 121 thousand investment scams were reported, resulting in losses totaling $5.8 billion.
Crypto scams are also occurring more frequently. Through the third quarter of 2025, scammers have collected $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency, up from $1 billion over the same period in 2024. Crypto is the second-largest source of funds for scammers behind bank transfers.
The Motley Fool has compiled the latest data on crypto and investment scams for 2025 below.
What is an investment scam?
Investment scams aim to get individuals or businesses to provide money -- often cryptocurrency -- for an investment that will allegedly generate large returns.
There are many types of investment scams, but they generally lure victims with promises of quick and large profits, only for victims to put up funds that are never seen again.
In this article, we use the terms "fraud" and "scam" interchangeably, as the FTC reports its data in this manner.
Americans lost $5.8 billion to investment fraud and scams in the first three quarters of 2025
Americans lost $6.1 billion to investment fraud and scams through the third quarter of 2025
Through the third quarter of 2025, Americans lost $6.1 billion in investment fraud and scams through 113,842 reported cases. Among those cases, 79% involved a financial loss.
The median loss for investment scam victims over that period was $10,000. That’s up from 2024, when the median loss from investment scams was $9,300 over the course of the full year.
Investment fraud has steadily increased across reported cases, median loss, and total losses since 2020.
Investment fraud reports and losses by age
Americans aged 40 to 49 reported the most investment scams through the third quarter of 2025: 9,513. That cost them $366 million, and the median amount lost was $7,405.
Americans between the ages of 30 and 70 are significantly more likely to fall victim to investment scams than are younger or older Americans.
The median amount lost to investment scams rises significantly with age. The median loss for Americans under 19 who have been targeted by investment scams is $505. That rises to $7,405 for those aged 40 to 49 and $25,000 for victims aged 80 and above. Americans 70 to 79 have the largest median loss, $29,000.
Total investment scam losses peak in the 60-to-69-year-old group. They lost $502 million through the third quarter of 2025. Those 80 and older lost just $49 million despite having a larger median loss.
Cryptocurrency is the top payment method for investment scams and fraud
Crypto is the top payment method by far for investment scams. Victims of 18,518 investment scams paid scammers $863 million in cryptocurrency through the third quarter of 2025. That’s a roughly $300 million increase from the same period in 2024.
Investment scams accounted for 48% of all scams involving cryptocurrency, and 60% of the cryptocurrency scammers received in through the first three quarters of 2025 was from an investment scam, according to FTC data. That’s far more than any other category of scam.
Scammers attempt to use cryptocurrency to receive funds from victims because there are no reliable methods for victims to recover their money once it has been sent in the form of cryptocurrency. Investment scams have a natural tie to crypto, making it no surprise that it’s the most common and lucrative way to extract cash from victims.
Americans lost $1.5 billion to crypto fraud through the third quarter of 2025
Americans lost $1.5 billion to scammers through cryptocurrency scams during the third quarter of 2025. About 33% of all cash lost to scammers over that period resulted from a crypto transfer, making it the second most popular payment method, behind only bank transfers.
Cryptocurrency as a preferred payment method for scammers gained prominence in 2021. In 2020, scammers extracted $132 million from victims via crypto. That grew to $748 million in 2021 and $1.4 billion in each of 2022, 2023, and 2024. 2025 is on pace to be a record year for crypto scammers.
How to spot a scam and how to report it
With investment scams on the rise, it's important that the public knows how to spot and report a scam.
Investment scams come in many forms and are constantly changing to keep up with trends and current events. Cryptocurrency scams in particular are increasingly popular, and more scammers are using social media, websites, and apps to target the public.
To avoid getting scammed, follow a few rules of thumb recommended by the FTC:
- Be wary of an opportunity that seems too good to be true. If it is, it's usually a scam.
- Do your research. Don't invest in something you don’t understand or haven't heard of. If you're approached about a company or cryptocurrency that's new to you, the FTC recommends that you search for it online along with "scam," "review," or "complaint."
- Avoid investment opportunities that require you to pay by cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or gift card. Doing so will make it extremely difficult to get your money back.
If you've been targeted by a scam, make sure you report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov, even if you haven't lost any money. If you've lost money as a result of an investment scam, reporting it is your best chance at recouping your losses.
Unfortunately, investment and cryptocurrency scams aren't going anywhere. In fact, data over the last few years makes clear that those scams are becoming more prevalent and costly and that scammers are constantly evolving their tactics.
Remaining vigilant; doing your own research before investing; and avoiding overtures that require you to pay by cryptocurrency, wire, or gift card are surefire ways to avoid losses and remain on a path to financial success.
Sources
About the Author
