Statistics
Phone scam statistics for older adults
In 2025, Americans 60 and older reported $7.7 billion in fraud losses to the FBI. Scams that start with a phone call cost older adults a median $3,000, five times more than scams that start on social media.
Updated · Official sources only · Free to cite with a link
$7.7 billion
Losses reported to the FBI by people 60 and older in 2025, up 59% from 2024.
201,266
Complaints from people 60 and older in 2025, up 37%.
$3,000
Median loss for older adults when the scam began with a phone call, versus $599 when it began on social media.
41%
Share of older adults’ phone-fraud losses taken by government impostors.
$38,500
Average reported loss per complainant 60 and older; 12,444 people lost more than $100,000.
$257.5 million
Lost by people 60 and older through cryptocurrency kiosks (Bitcoin ATMs) in 2025.
Losses by scam type, people 60 and older (2025)
| Scam type | Losses |
|---|---|
| Investment | $3.52 billion |
| Tech and customer support | $1.04 billion |
| Confidence and romance | $584 million |
| Government impersonation | $413 million (vs $208 million in 2024) |
| Lottery and sweepstakes | $136 million |
Source: FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report, elder fraud section.
What the FTC found
- Adults 60 and older reported about $3 billion in fraud losses in 2025, about five times the roughly $600 million reported in 2020.
- The median loss was about $900 for people 60 and older, and $2,000 for people 80 and older.
- For people 80 and older, phone calls were the contact method with the highest total losses.
- Gift cards were the most common payment method in tech support, romance, family impersonation and prize scams.
- Because most fraud is never reported, the FTC estimates the full cost of fraud to older adults at $13.3 billion to $119.5 billion a year.
Source: FTC, Protecting Older Consumers 2025–2026 (October 2026). Across all ages, people reported about $16 billion in fraud losses in 2025, including about $920 million to government impersonators (FTC press release, June 2026).
Questions
How much do seniors lose to scams each year?
People 60 and older reported $7.7 billion in losses to the FBI in 2025, and about $3 billion to the FTC. The two counts overlap and both undercount: the FTC estimates the true cost at $13.3 billion to $119.5 billion a year.
Are phone scams worse than online scams for older adults?
Per victim, yes. The FTC found the median loss was $3,000 when a scam began with a phone call, compared with $599 when it began on social media.
Which scams cost older Americans the most?
By FBI data for 2025: investment fraud ($3.52 billion), tech and customer support scams ($1.04 billion), romance scams ($584 million) and government impersonation ($413 million).
About these numbers
FBI and FTC figures come from reports people chose to file, so they undercount real losses, and some people report to both agencies. We update this page when new official data is published. See our editorial policy and real scam cases.