People misplaced $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025, an eightfold improve since 2020, based on a report launched Monday by the Federal Commerce Fee.
Practically 30% of People who reported being a sufferer of a rip-off final 12 months mentioned the rip-off originated on social media, with Fb most often being recognized because the social media platform the place the rip-off originated, based on the report. Fellow Meta-owned platforms WhatsApp and Instagram had been ranked a distant second and third, the FTC mentioned.
“In 2025, individuals reported dropping far extra money to scams on Fb alone than they reported dropping to textual content or e-mail scams,” the fee mentioned.
Scams originating on Fb value customers $794 million in 2025, whereas WhatsApp and Instagram mixed for $659 million in losses.
Representatives for Meta did not instantly reply to a request for remark.
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The FTC mentioned social media scams largely fall into three classes: funding, buying and romance. The best amount of cash — $1.1 billion — was misplaced to funding scams usually rooted in advertisements or posts providing a program to show funding strategies.
Buying scams had been essentially the most reported social media rip-off in 2025, with greater than 40% of social media rip-off victims reporting they obtained ripped off by ordering one thing they noticed in a social media advert — “every thing from garments and make-up to automotive components and even puppies,” the company mentioned.
Romance scams are additionally common on social media. Practically 60% of people that had been victimized by a romance rip-off in 2025 mentioned it originated on a social media platform. “Scammers usually tailor-made their pitch based mostly on individuals’s profiles, later inventing a disaster requiring cash or casually providing funding recommendation to attract them onto a pretend funding platform,” the FTC mentioned.
All age teams, besides these 80 or older, reported dropping extra money to scams that started on social media than to every other methodology of contact.
To keep away from being a sufferer of social media scams, the FTC advises customers to restrict who can see their posts and contacts on social media. Additionally, by no means let somebody you’ve gotten met solely on social media make your funding selections.
And earlier than shopping for one thing you have seen marketed on social media, do research on the company at the FTC.
When you suspect you’ve gotten been a sufferer of a rip-off try, report it to authorities, such because the FTC’s website.
