Scams in the United States — Reporting, Recovery & Warnings
The scams hitting American consumers in 2024-2025, how to report them, and where to get help. Independent guidance based on FTC, IC3, and CFPB data.
Top US Scams 2024 — Where the Money Goes
FTC SENTINELInvestment Scams
$5.7BCrypto investment fraud, fake trading platforms, pig butchering. The single largest loss category in the US — up 24% YoY.
See scam anatomy →Imposter Scams
$2.95BIRS, FBI, Social Security, bank fraud, family-in-distress, tech support. Government imposters alone hit $789M (+28% YoY).
Recognize the pattern →Job & Employment Scams
$501MFake remote-work offers, “task-based” earning apps, training-fee scams. Up 5× since 2020 — fastest-growing category.
Spot the red flags →Romance Scams
High lossDating apps, Facebook, Instagram. Long-game scams that often become pig butchering. Disproportionately target adults 50+.
How they work →SMS Phishing (Smishing)
Top contactFake tollway, USPS, IRS, bank fraud texts. Designed to harvest card details and personal info via lookalike payment pages.
Identify smishing →Gift Card Scams
IrreversibleAmazon, Apple, Google Play, Steam gift-card demands. Used in IRS, tech support, romance, and grandparent scams.
Why never gift cards →What To Do If You’ve Just Been Scammed (USA)
URGENTStep 1 — Call Your Bank
Within hours. Request a chargeback (credit cards) or transaction reversal (debit/ACH). Same-day reporting = highest recovery rate.
How to dispute →Step 2 — Report to FTC
reportfraud.ftc.gov — feeds Consumer Sentinel Network used by federal, state, and local law enforcement.
FTC report →Step 3 — IC3 If Cyber
For internet crime, BEC, romance scams, crypto, ransomware — ic3.gov is the FBI’s intake portal.
IC3 report →Step 4 — Identity Theft
IdentityTheft.gov walks you through a personalised recovery plan: credit freezes, fraud alerts, IRS notification.
IdentityTheft.gov →State-by-State Resources
FIND YOUR AGState Attorneys General
Every US state has an AG office that handles consumer-fraud complaints. Find yours via NAAG’s directory.
Find your AG →BBB Scam Tracker
Community-reported scam database, searchable by ZIP code. See what’s hitting your area in real time.
Search by ZIP →CFPB — Banking Complaints
For disputes with banks, credit card issuers, payment processors, debt collectors. Strong consumer-protection record.
File complaint →USA.gov Scam Hub
Federal scam resource page. Cross-references reporting routes for elder fraud, tax scams, military scams, and more.
USA.gov →Lost money to a US scam?
Don’t pay any “recovery service” — they are almost always second-stage scams. Real recovery is free through your bank, FTC, and IC3. Start there.