FTC Report: Older Adults Reported About $3 Billion in Fraud Losses in 2025, Led by Investment Scams
WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission has issued its latest report to Congress, Protecting Older Consumers 2025–2026, detailing the agency's law enforcement, consumer education and outreach efforts against unfair or deceptive practices affecting older Americans, along with trend data from consumer fraud reports.
Data from the Consumer Sentinel Network show that fraud losses reported by adults ages 60 and over increased about fivefold from 2020 to 2025, rising from about $600 million in 2020 to approximately $3 billion in 2025, driven largely by reports of extraordinarily large individual losses. Because fraud is widely underreported, the FTC estimates the overall cost of fraud to older adults in 2025 could be as high as $119.5 billion. By reported losses, investment scams were the costliest category of fraud targeting older adults, the report found.
"The FTC is committed to protecting older Americans from scams, including by taking every action necessary to shut down fraud operations," said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "This latest report showcases our enforcement actions, outreach efforts and other initiatives the FTC has undertaken to defend older adults from fraudulent enterprises and educate Americans on how best to protect themselves from scams."
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于华盛顿的联邦贸易委员会（FTC）总部大楼。公共领域图片，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布。
