Scam News
Weekly Fraud Briefings
A plain-English, victim-centered read on this week's scams — combining what the AVASC database is seeing with authoritative warnings and enforcement from the FTC, FBI IC3, CISA, FinCEN, and state Attorneys General. Every briefing links out to its sources.
Scam by the numbers
U.S. cybercrime losses are climbing fast
$20.9B in 2025 · +26% vs 2024Sources: FBI IC3 and FTC Consumer Sentinel, annual reports. Figures are reported losses only; actual totals are higher, as most scams go unreported.
Where the money goes
Reported fraud losses from official U.S. sources — the scam types and payment methods behind the biggest losses.
Reported losses by payment method
FTC · 2024- Bank Transfer or Payment$2.09B
- Cryptocurrency$1.42B
Reported losses by scam type
FBI IC3 · 2024- Investment$6.57B
- Business Email Compromise$2.77B
- Tech/Customer Support$1.46B
- Non-Payment/Non-Delivery$785M
- Confidence/Romance$672M
- Government Impersonation$405M
Scam complaints, updated daily
Consumer complaints that mention scams, filed with the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) over the last 12 months. A live signal from the CFPB's public database — not a total count of all scams.
11,036
scam-related complaints in the last 12 months
Most-reported states
- CA1,411
- FL1,058
- TX1,030
- NY771
- GA517
- NC424
Election-Season Scams Go Live as FBI Issues Triple Alert
Same-day FBI/IC3 warnings on midterm election fraud land alongside a $1.6B impersonation-scam tally and a fresh push by recovery-scam criminals targeting people who've already been defrauded.
Today in Scams: Recovery-Scam Crackdown, NK Laptop Farms Busted
Two major enforcement actions this week expose how fake 'help' and fake 'jobs' are being used to drain fraud victims and recruit Americans into schemes without their knowledge.
FTC Halts Alleged $60M Sextortion 'Relief' Scam; FBI Flags Recovery Scams
A federal court froze an alleged multimillion-dollar sextortion-relief operation today, the same week the FBI renewed warnings that scammers are posing as FBI/IC3 'recovery agents' to target people who've already been defrauded.
Today in Scams: Imposter Calls, AI Voice Clones, $12.7B Crypto Con
Three active schemes to watch right now: government-impersonation callers, AI-cloned 'emergency' voices, and a record-breaking wave of AI-run romance-investment crypto fraud.
This Week in Scams: Tolls, Recovery Cons, and AI Romance Fraud
A roundup of the week's most important scam trends — from record-breaking imposter fraud to criminals re-targeting people who've already been victimized.
Fake Badges, Medicare Scams & Toll Texts: What's Active Now
Three live scam patterns — spoofed federal-agent calls, Medicare enrollment fraud, and toll-text phishing — are hitting Americans right now, and AVASC's data matches the national picture.
Fake Feds, Fake 'Recovery Help,' and a Mule-Network Guilty Plea
Today's sharpest threats: imposters using real agents' names and spoofed numbers, scammers chasing victims of a real restitution payout, and a guilty plea that exposes how job-offer money-mule recruiting actually works.
Impersonation & Tech-Support Scams Surge; Fake Recovery Offers Return
Fresh FBI data and this week's cases show government-impersonation calls, costly tech-support cons, and fake "we'll get your money back" offers are all active right now — with new real-world cases reported in the last 24–48 hours.
Fake Badges, Fake Rescuers: Impersonation Scams Surge Nationwide
New federal alerts show law-enforcement impersonators and fake 'recovery agents' are hitting harder and smarter — here's what AVASC is seeing and how to stay ahead of it.
AI Voice Clones, Fake 'FBI' Recovery Agents, Toll Texts
Three scam patterns are actively hitting phones and families right now: AI-cloned voices powering fake emergencies and romance cons, scammers posing as FBI/IC3 staff to re-target people who already lost money, and the long-running toll-text and fake-job-offer floods.
Fake FBI Agents Using Real Names, Spoofed Numbers — Oct. 6
A fast-moving federal-impersonation scheme using real agents' names is colliding with a wave of AI-powered investment fraud — here's what's active today and how to stay protected.
Fake FBI Agents, Recovery Scams, and QR Cons Escalate
This week's active threats share one theme: scammers impersonating trusted sources — from federal agents to QR codes — to drain money from both new and already-victimized people.
This Week in Scams: Toll Texts, AI Romance Cons, Fake Recovery
Government imposters, AI-driven "pig butchering," toll-text smishing, fake fund-recovery pitches, and task-job schemes all surged this week — here's what to watch for and how to stay protected.
Toll Text Scams Surge Again, Plus Fake 'Recovery' Targeting Past Victims
A fresh wave of fake unpaid-toll texts is hitting drivers this week, while government imposters and so-called recovery services keep targeting people who've already been scammed.
Recovery Scams Re-Target Victims as Toll-Text Wave Continues
The FBI and FTC are both warning that people who already lost money to a scam are now being hunted a second time — while toll-text phishing and AI-driven romance-investment cons keep hitting fresh targets.
Fake 'FBI Recovery Agents' and Toll-Text Scams Are Active Right Now
The FBI just re-upped a warning that criminals are posing as its own IC3 cybercrime unit to re-scam prior victims, even as toll-text smishing keeps fueling record imposter-scam reports nationwide.
Recovery Scams, Toll Texts & AI Romance Cons Surge
Fraud aimed at people already victimized, a nationwide toll-text wave, and AI-driven romance-investment cons top today's active threats.
Fake 'FBI' Recovery Scams Re-Target Fraud Victims This Week
A fresh federal warning this week shows scammers are posing as FBI/IC3 staff to squeeze a second payment out of people who already lost money — while toll-text scams and AI-run romance-investment cons keep churning.
This Week in Scams: Toll Texts, AI Romance Cons & Fake 'Recovery' Calls
From billion-dollar toll smishing to AI-powered pig-butchering rings and scammers posing as the FBI to re-target past victims, this week's briefing rounds up what AVASC's data and top watchdogs are seeing — and what you can do about it.
AI Romance Scams, Fake Recovery Calls, and Job-Task Fraud Surge
Researchers just showed AI chatbots outperforming human romance-scammers, while the FTC issues one of its bluntest warnings yet about fake “recovery” services preying on prior victims.
FBI Warns: Fake 'Recovery Agents' Are Re-Targeting Fraud Victims
A fresh FBI alert on scammers posing as IC3/FBI 'recovery' agents tops today's brief, alongside ongoing toll-text and task-job scams AVASC is also tracking.
Today in Scams: Fake 'Recovery' Scams Hit Victims Twice
Fraudsters are re-targeting people who already lost money to scams — while toll-text schemes and AI-run romance-investment cons keep churning nationwide.
FBI Warns Scammers Are Impersonating Its Own Fraud Hotline
A fresh FBI warning about fake IC3 agents targeting past victims tops today's brief, alongside active toll-text, task-job, and AI romance-investment scams AVASC is also tracking.
Fake 'FBI Recovery Agents' Are Re-Targeting Scam Victims
A fresh FBI warning about fake IC3 recovery agents lands alongside two other active waves AVASC is tracking: nationwide toll-text scams and AI-run romance-investment cons.
FBI Warns of Fake 'Recovery' Agents Targeting Past Scam Victims
Fraudsters are impersonating FBI/IC3 officials with AI-generated videos to re-victimize people who already lost money, while a fresh FTC settlement exposes fake bill-payment sites — all echoing patterns AVASC's own database has flagged in recent weeks.
Fake 'Recovery' Scams Are Now Targeting Yesterday's Scam Victims
The FTC's starkest warning yet: fraudsters are re-targeting people who already lost money, while toll-text and government-impersonation scams keep grinding on.
This Week in Scams: Fake 'Recovery' Calls, Toll Texts, AI Romance Cons
A closer look at the fraud patterns dominating reports this week — from scammers posing as the FBI to help "recover" stolen money, to AI-driven romance-investment schemes and toll-text phishing.
FBI Warns: Fake 'Recovery Agents' Are Re-Scamming Fraud Victims
Federal alerts and AVASC's own tracking point to the same three active threats today: recovery-scam impersonators hunting past victims, a nationwide toll-text smishing wave, and AI-driven romance-investment cons.
Scammers Targeting Past Victims a Second Time, FTC Warns
Fresh federal alerts on recovery scams and social-media trading cons align with what AVASC's own data is picking up this summer — plus an active nationwide toll-text wave.
FBI Warns of Deepfake 'Recovery' Scams Hitting Past Victims Again
A fresh federal warning about AI-powered fake FBI/IC3 recovery agents tops today's brief, alongside an active nationwide toll-text wave and AI-driven investment and job scams.
Fake 'Recovery' Scammers Hit Prior Victims; Toll Texts, AI Romance Cons Persist
The FTC's newest alert warns that scam victims are being targeted a second time by fake recovery agents, while toll-text phishing and AI-driven romance-investment schemes remain in heavy circulation.
Recovery Scams Re-Hit Past Victims; Toll Texts, AI Crypto Cons Persist
Scammers are circling back to people who already lost money, while toll-text phishing and AI-driven romance-investment cons keep churning — here's what's active right now and how to protect yourself.
Fake 'Recovery' Scams Targeting Fraud Victims Again — What's Active Today
Federal regulators and AVASC's own reports point to the same pattern this week: scammers are re-targeting people who already lost money, while fake investment pitches and toll-payment texts keep hitting new victims.
FBI Renews Warning: Fake 'Recovery Agents' Are Re-Targeting Scam Victims
New federal alerts on recovery scams and social-media 'trading education' cons line up with what AVASC's own reports are showing this summer.
This Week in Scams: Recovery Scams, Toll Texts & AI Romance Cons
Fraud victims are being targeted a second time by fake FBI "recovery" agents, while task-job scams, toll smishing, and AI-powered romance-investment cons continue to drain households nationwide.
Recovery Scams Re-Target Victims; AI Powers Romance-Investment Cons
This week's active threats: fake 'refund helpers' preying on past victims, a persistent toll-text smishing wave, and AI-driven romance-investment fraud draining six-figure sums.
FBI Warns of Fake 'Recovery' Agents Targeting Past Scam Victims
A fresh FBI alert on AI-powered impersonation of its own fraud unit tops today's brief, alongside an ongoing nationwide toll-text wave and AI-driven romance-investment schemes.
Fake FBI 'Recovery Agents' Are Re-Targeting Fraud Victims Right Now
The FBI and FTC are both actively warning that scammers posing as IC3/FBI staff are hunting people who've already lost money — while toll-text scams and AI-powered romance-investment cons keep surging.
FBI Warns of AI-Powered Recovery Scams Targeting Past Victims
A fresh FBI alert on fake “fund recovery” impersonators, a nationwide toll-text wave, and AI-driven romance-investment schemes are the scams to watch right now.
Fake 'Recovery Agents' and AI-Boosted Romance Scams Surge
Scammers are re-targeting people who've already lost money — impersonating the FBI and offering fake refunds — while toll-text smishing and AI-powered romance-investment cons keep draining new victims.
Scammers Are Targeting Their Own Past Victims Again
The FBI and FTC both issued fresh warnings this week about fake 'recovery' services preying on people who already lost money — a pattern AVASC's own data has been tracking since June.
FBI Warns of Fake Agents Targeting Scam Victims Again
Federal officials renew warnings on recovery scams and toll-text phishing as AVASC's own data shows the same patterns hitting victims right now.
This Week in Scams: Tolls, Recovery Cons, and AI Romance Fraud
Government impersonation, toll-text scams, AI-driven romance-investment fraud, and a new wave of fake "fund recovery" schemes targeting past victims topped the week's fraud reporting.
FBI Warns Fraud Victims Are Being Targeted Again by Fake 'Recovery' Scams
A new FBI alert on recovery scams, a nationwide toll-text wave, and AI-driven romance-investment cons are the three biggest active threats we're tracking today.
Prior Victims Retargeted as Toll Texts, AI Romance Scams Surge
Federal officials and AVASC's own case data both show scammers circling back to people who've already been defrauded, while toll-text floods and AI-run romance-investment cons keep draining new victims.
Fake FTC/FBI Agents and Toll-Text Scams Are Surging Right Now
This week's biggest active threats: government impersonators demanding you 'protect' your money, AI-powered recovery scams targeting past victims, and another wave of toll-payment text scams.
Two Federal Agencies Warn: Scammers Are Impersonating the Investigators
The FTC and FBI issued fresh warnings this month about fraudsters posing as agency staff — one targeting new victims, one re-targeting people who already lost money — while toll-text scams and AI-driven romance-investment cons keep churning.
Fake Federal Agents and AI Romance-Investment Cons Surge
New federal warnings about scammers impersonating the FTC and FBI are colliding with a fast-growing wave of AI-driven romance-investment fraud and toll-text scams AVASC is also tracking right now.
FBI-LinkedIn Job Scam Alert, AI Romance-Crypto Cons, Fake 'Recovery' Callers
Today's fastest-moving threats: a fresh FBI/LinkedIn warning on task-job fraud, AI-powered romance-investment scams draining life savings, and fake 'recovery agents' re-targeting past victims.
FBI Warns: Fake “FBI Agents” Are Re-Scamming Fraud Victims
A fresh FBI alert on deepfake recovery scammers targeting past victims lines up with what AVASC's own data has been flagging for weeks — plus active job-scam and toll-text waves to watch today.
This Week in Scams: Recovery Scams, Toll Texts, AI Romance Fraud
A look at the scams making the rounds this week — including a new twist that re-targets people who've already been defrauded — and what AVASC's data shows alongside official warnings from the FBI and FTC.
FBI, FTC Warn: Fraudsters Are Impersonating Investigators Right Now
Fresh federal alerts show scammers posing as FBI/IC3 "recovery agents" and FTC officials to re-target people who've already been defrauded, while AI-run romance-investment cons keep scaling nationwide.
Fake FTC/FBI Agents Re-Targeting Scam Victims; Toll Texts Still Surging
Two active imposter campaigns — one mimicking the FTC, one mimicking the FBI's own fraud unit — are hitting people right now, alongside a fresh wave of toll-payment smishing texts.
FBI and FTC Sound Fresh Alarms on Impersonation Scams
Federal agencies just re-upped warnings about criminals posing as the FBI and FTC themselves, while toll-text scams and AI-driven romance-investment schemes keep churning nationwide.
Fake FBI/IC3 Recovery Agents and FTC Impersonators Active Now
Scammers are impersonating the very agencies victims turn to for help — while toll-text smishing and AI-run romance-investment cons keep grinding on.
FBI Warns: Fake “IC3” Recovery Scams Now Use AI Deepfakes
A newly updated federal warning shows scammers using AI-generated FBI videos and spoofed IC3 sites to re-target people who already lost money — exactly the pattern AVASC's own data has flagged for weeks.
Fake FBI Agents Are Re-Targeting Scam Victims — What's Active Today
A newly updated FBI warning about impostors posing as federal agents on social media tops today's active scam threats, alongside surging toll-text and AI-driven romance-investment cons.
Toll Texts, Fake Jobs, AI Romance Cons & World Cup Ticket Fraud
Four active scam patterns are hitting inboxes and phones right now — here's what AVASC and federal regulators are seeing today, and how to stay protected.
This Week in Scams: Task-Job Traps, Toll Texts & Recovery Cons
A weekly, victim-centered look at the fraud patterns AVASC's database and federal regulators are both flagging right now — and what you can do about each one.
Fake 'Recovery Agents' Re-Target Scam Victims; AI Pig-Butchering & Task Scams Surge
Three active threats to watch today: bogus fund-recovery agents preying on prior victims, AI-accelerated romance-investment scams, and a fresh wave of task-job and toll-text scams.
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