Online scams cost American households an estimated $148.2 billion in 2025, a 25.8% increase year-over-year, according to a report by the Consumer Federation of America. Cryptocurrency accounts for more than half of these losses, with the real cost estimated at $80.7 billion after extrapolating unreported cases. Meta platforms dominate fraud activity, with Facebook (57%), Instagram (22%), and WhatsApp (8%) being the most used channels by scammers. Seniors over 60 remain the primary victims with an average loss of $38,500 per reported incident. Senator Mark Kelly introduced the Senior Chatbot Protection Act to require companies to disclose AI interactions to consumers.
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