Social media scams surge to $2.1 billion loss in 2025, FTC warns of evolving threats

The Federal Trade Commission reports a sharp rise in social media-related scams in 2025, with Facebook leading in reported losses. Fraudsters increasingly target users across age groups with shopping, investment, and romance scams, prompting calls for greater online privacy vigilance.

The Federal Trade Commission said social media has become a major route for fraudsters, with people reporting more than $2.1 billion in losses in 2025 from scams that began on social platforms. Nearly 30% of those who said they lost money to a scam said the contact started on social media, a sharp rise the agency described as roughly eight times higher than in 2020, according to the FTC’s latest data spotlight.

Facebook accounted for more reported losses than any other platform, with WhatsApp and Instagram next, the agency said. The trend cut across age groups as well: the FTC said every group apart from people over 80 reported losing more money to scams that started on social media than through any other contact method.

The frauds took several forms. Shopping scams were the most commonly reported social media scheme, often involving fake sites posing as well-known brands and luring buyers with steep discounts. Investment scams were another major category and tended to begin with ads or posts promoting supposed training programmes on how to invest. The FTC also said nearly 60% of people who reported losses in romance scams said those schemes started on social media.

The agency has urged users to tighten privacy settings, limit who can see posts and contacts, and be wary of anyone met only online who tries to steer investment decisions. In a separate warning this year, the FTC also highlighted imposter scams, saying fraudsters increasingly use fake security alerts and other pressure tactics to push people into moving money.