This Social Network Was the Primary Hunting Ground for Scammers in 2025
In 2025, Americans lost $2.1 billion to scams, with nearly 30% of incidents starting on social media, according to the FTC. Facebook was the top platform exploited, accounting for $745 million in losses, followed by WhatsApp and Instagram. Common scams included fake shopping ads, investment fraud, and romance schemes, with investment scams causing the highest financial losses at $1.1 billion. The FTC advises limiting social media visibility and avoiding financial discussions with strangers online.
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Despite growing awareness around social media fraud, Americans still lost $2.1 billion in 2025, according to an FTC report. That's eight times higher than in 2020, and almost 30% of people who lost money to all kinds of scams last year said that the attempt began on social media.Facebook is the primary hunting ground for bad actors, accounting for $745 million of the total losses. WhatsApp and Instagram, also owned by Meta, come in second and third with reported losses of $425 million and $234 million, respectively. (Credit: FTC) Three of the most common traps include fake shopping, investment, and romance websites. Forty percent of the victims said they lost money by ordering something they’d seen in an ad.
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