FBI says Americans lost nearly $900 million to AI scams
For years, scam emails were easy to laugh at. From the bad grammar to the weird formatting, there were obvious red flags. Now, scammers can clone a voice, generate a convincing video, spoof a government agency, and sound more professional than some real customer service departments. And it's working.
According to the FBI, Americans reported losing $893 million to AI-related scams in 2025 alone. The FBI's latest Internet Crime Report logged more than 22,000 AI-related complaints and nearly $900 million in reported losses to scams powered by voice cloning, deepfakes, and AI-generated content.
That's based only on cases that were actually reported. The real total could be much higher, as many scam victims never report what happened, especially when the fraud involves personal relationships, family members, or financial embarrassment.
AI is making old scams look new again
The technology behind many of today's scams isn't some futuristic hacking tool. It's AI doing what AI does best: generating content that looks and sounds real. According to the FBI, scammers are increasingly using voice cloning, deepfake videos, AI-generated images, and AI-written scripts.
The result is that classic scams suddenly feel a lot more believable. A fake phone call can sound like your family member, a fake video can look like a government official, and a fake email can read like it came from your boss. As one FBI official put it, AI-generated communications can appear legitimate even to highly trained individuals.
The scams showing up everywhere
Some of the biggest AI-powered scams include romance scams, family emergency calls, and government impersonation.
There is also the business email fraud, where companies are also getting hit. AI is increasingly being used in business email compromise attacks, where criminals impersonate executives, vendors, or partners to trick employees into transferring money. These scams have already caused tens of millions of dollars in losses.
How to protect yourself
The FBI and financial institutions are recommending a few simple habits ranging from being skeptical of urgent requests for money to verifying identities through official channels. Authorities also advise avoiding sending payments through cryptocurrency or gift cards, and being cautious about how much voice and video content you share publicly. Also, be sure to report suspicious activity to your bank and authorities as quickly as possible.
The most important rule is to slow down. Most scams succeed because they create panic, urgency, or pressure. The moment someone says "act now," that's usually the moment to stop and verify.
Source: Malwarebytes
