It’s Fraud Friday!
The National Consumers League (NCL) analyzed 1,376 complaints reported to Fraud.org in 2025. These were self-reported by victims of various fraud and scams. Based on complaints received, phishing and spoofing scams surged 85.6% from 2024 with median losses more than doubling from $1,000 to $2060 per case. Investment scams remained the most financially devastating for victims with a median loss of $30,000 per case! Surprisingly, consumers age 26-45 represented 39.8% of all complaints and were the fastest growing age group for last year. While older consumers do remain heavily impacted, scammers seem to have targeted younger adults that much more. Below are some charts provided by Fraud.Org that show the Top 10 Overall scams, how consumers were contacted, and a break down by age.
Top 10 Overall
| Rank | Scam Type | Percentage Total – 2025 | % Change (2024-2025) | Median Loss |
| 1 | Phishing/spoofing | 34.95% | 85.55% | $ 2,060.00 |
| 2 | Internet: Gen Merchandise | 20.63% | 21.08% | $ 310.00 |
| 3 | Prizes/Sweepstakes /Free Gifts | 13.58% | -64.51% | $ 950.00 |
| 4 | Investments: Other (including Crypto) | 7.05% | 9.03% | $ 30,000.00 |
| 5 | Advance Fee Loans, Credit Arrangers | 3.23% | 10.90% | $ 1,345.00 |
| 6 | Fake Check Scams | 2.94% | -23.34% | $ 3,631.00 |
| 7 | Friendship & Sweetheart Swindles | 2.79% | 37.09% | $ 15,000.00 |
| 8 | Family/Friend Imposter | 1.62% | -1.27% | $ 434.00 |
| 9 | Home Repair | 1.32% | 136.56% | $ 7,624.00 |
| 10 | Credit Repair | 1.03% | 329.32% | $ 1,646.00 |
Method of Contact
| Method | Complaints | Percentage Total – 2025 | % Change (2024-2025) |
| World Wide Web | 656 | 48.02% | 35.73% |
| Phone | 352 | 25.77% | -42.27% |
| In Person | 142 | 10.40% | 88.85% |
| Emaqil | 106 | 7.76% | 9.29% |
| Postal Mail | 78 | 5.71% | 11.84% |
| Other (Text, TV/Radio, Print, Fax, Etc.) | 32 | 2.34% | 193.65% |
Consumer Age
| Age Range | Percentage Total – 2025 | Percentage Total – 2024 | % Change (2024-2025) |
| Under 18 | 0.30% | 0.51% | -41.25% |
| 18-25 | 5.01% | 4.22% | 18.68% |
| 26-35 | 20.62% | 12.27% | 68.08% |
| 36-45 | 19.22% | 15.14% | 26.91% |
| 46-55 | 16.92% | 16.61% | 1.83% |
| 56-65 | 16.02% | 21.02% | -23.81% |
| Above 65 | 21.92% | 30.22% | -27.47% |
