Consumers lost $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025, FTC reports.

Americans lost $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025, according to a new report from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The agency reported that losses from social media scams increased eight-fold, and that social media scams resulted in higher losses than any other method fraudsters use to contact consumers.

Nearly 30% of people who reported losing money to scams said the schemes started on social media. More people reported losing money to scams originating on Facebook than any other social media platform, with WhatsApp and Instagram coming in second and third. Additionally, people reported losing significantly more money to scams on Facebook alone than they did to scams via text or email.

FTC data shows that social media scams take many forms, including shopping scams, which were the most frequently reported type of social media scams last year. More than 40% of people who lost money to social media scams said they ordered a product they saw in an ad, from clothing and cosmetics to car parts and even puppies. Many of these ads led to unfamiliar websites, while others sent people to fake websites of popular brands that claimed to be offering deep discounts.

Another common type of social media scam involves investment schemes that start with ads or posts offering to teach people how to invest. Other scammers pretend to be friendly advisors or create WhatsApp groups full of fake testimonials. These types of investment scams resulted in $1.1 billion in losses.

Additionally, nearly 60% of people who reported losing money to a romance scam in 2025 said it started on a social media platform. Scammers often tailor their offers to fit a person’s profile and later invent a crisis that requires money. Or they casually offer investment advice to lure them into a fake investment platform.

The FTC advises users to protect themselves from social media scams by limiting who can see their posts and contacts, never letting anyone they meet online guide their investment decisions, and carefully examining products before making a purchase by researching the company and searching the name along with the terms “scam” or “complaint.”