U.S. — A survey conducted by Gallup and Stop Scams Alliance in January and February 2026 found that Americans lost a total of $68 billion to scams in the preceding year. Approximately 6% of U.S. adults, or 15 million people, reported being scammed out of money during that period.

One in four Americans reported having been personally scammed at some point in their adult lives. Of the scams experienced by respondents, 12% involved artificial intelligence (AI) or deepfakes. Scams caused severe financial hardship for 21% of respondents and moderate financial hardship for 46%.

Ken Westbrook, founder and CEO of Stop Scams Alliance, said, "These guys aren't called organized crime for nothing. They're actually organized, and they're using their organization to start attacking us with scale now to a tune of $68 billion, which is like the annual revenues of Delta Airlines. It's like a Fortune 500 company. It's huge." He also noted a substantial data reporting gap, stating, "The data reporting gap is one of the reasons why we're not devoting sufficient resources to this problem. It's just that we haven't measured it properly."

The survey found that the amount of scam losses reported by respondents was nearly four times higher than the amount reported to the Federal Trade Commission, a difference of approximately $52 billion. Seventy-five percent of respondents indicated that being scammed negatively affected their mental health and well-being. Westbrook recalled his own mother's experience, saying, "There's a line in the Gallup report that hit me like a hammer when I read it. It says that 'the emotional impact of scams can be more injurious than the financial impact,' and I certainly saw that with my mom." His mother lost her life savings in spring 2023 after interacting with a fraudulent obituary page.

Fraudulent websites were involved in 40% of the reported scams. Phone, text, and email were each used in nearly half of all scams, with 50% involving two or more communication methods. In 49% of scams, victims were led to send money directly to the perpetrators, frequently using payment apps such as Zelle and PayPal.

Why It Matters

The findings quantify the widespread financial and personal impact of scams on U.S. adults, indicating that reported losses may be higher than official records suggest. The emergence of AI and deepfakes in a percentage of scams points to an evolving threat landscape, as organized criminal groups utilize new technologies for large-scale fraud, according to Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza in March 2026.