Americans lost $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025, an eightfold increase since 2020, according to a report released Monday by the Federal Trade Commission.
Nearly 30% of Americans who reported being a victim of a scam last year said the scam originated on social media, with Facebook most frequently being identified as the social media platform where the scam originated, according to the report. Fellow Meta-owned platforms WhatsApp and Instagram were ranked a distant second and third, the FTC said.
“In 2025, people reported losing far more money to scams on Facebook alone than they reported losing to text or email scams,” the commission said.
Scams originating on Facebook cost people $794 million in 2025, while WhatsApp and Instagram combined for $659 million in losses.
Representatives for Meta didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The FTC said social media scams largely fall into three categories: investment, shopping and romance. The greatest amount of money — $1.1 billion — was lost to investment scams often rooted in ads or posts offering a program to teach investment techniques.
Shopping scams were the most reported social media scam in 2025, with more than 40% of social media scam victims reporting they got ripped off by ordering something they saw in a social media ad — “everything from clothes and makeup to car parts and even puppies,” the agency said.
Romance scams are also popular on social media. Nearly 60% of people who were victimized by a romance scam in 2025 said it originated on a social media platform. “Scammers often tailored their pitch based on people’s profiles, later inventing a crisis requiring money or casually offering investment advice to draw them onto a fake investment platform,” the FTC said.
All age groups, except those 80 or older, reported losing more money to scams that began on social media than to any other method of contact.
To avoid being a victim of social media scams, the FTC advises people to limit who can see their posts and contacts on social media. Also, never let someone you’ve only met on social media make your investment decisions.
And before buying something you’ve seen advertised on social media, do research on the company at the FTC.
If you suspect you’ve been a victim of a scam attempt, report it to authorities such as the FTC through its website.
