As scammers increasingly use pressure tactics and artificial intelligence (AI) to defraud Americans out of their hard-earned money, the FBI is reminding everyone to protect themselves and their families from fraud this holiday season.
“If you feel pressured to act fast, pay money, or turn over personal information—take a beat. Stop and assess if what you’re being told is real. Talk to your families. Protect each other from scams,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a press release. “Scammers are banking on the fact that you’ll feel too embarrassed to come forward and report the crime to the FBI. Don’t let them win.”
The FBI specifically encourages Americans to talk to their loved ones about not sharing sensitive information with people they have met only online or over the phone. They also should not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other assets, the agency said.
“Cyber-enabled fraud dominates the scam landscape, accelerated by AI. In the first seven months of 2025, AI accounted for more than 9,000 complaints to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and those AI complaints spanned all types of scams,” according to the FBI. “Fraudsters use technology to create fake social media profiles, voice clones, identification documents, and videos with believable depictions of public figures or even loved ones.”
Fraudulent or suspicious activity can be reported to the FBI at ic3.gov. Tipsters should include information such as:
- Identifying information about the person or company which contacted them
- Methods of communication used, to include websites, emails, and phone numbers
- Financial transaction information, such as the date, type of payment, amount, account numbers involved, the name and address of the receiving financial institution, and receiving cryptocurrency addresses
- Description of the interaction with the fraudster
The IC3 received 535,314 complaints reporting $13.7 billion in losses last year, an average loss of $25,700 per victim, according to the FBI.
Between 2020 and 2024, a total of $50.5 billion in losses were reported to IC3.
People over 60 suffered the most losses and submitted the most complaints. Victims over 60 who need assistance filing an IC3 complaint can contact the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline, 1-833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311). Learn more about scam prevention at fbi.gov/takeabeat.
(Photo courtesy of FBI – Philadelphia)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
