FBI Reports Record $20.87 Billion in Cybercrime Losses for 2025, Driven by AI-Enhanced Scams
The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report revealed a historic surge in cybercrime, with reported losses reaching $20.87 billion the first time losses exceeded $20 billion. Complaints submitted to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) surpassed one million, a 17% increase from 2024.
Top Threats & Financial Impact
Phishing remained the most reported crime (191,561 complaints), but investment scams caused the highest losses ($8.6 billion), followed by business email compromise (BEC) and tech support scams. Cyber-enabled fraud using digital tools to execute traditional scams accounted for 45% of complaints but 85% of financial losses. Meanwhile, classic cyber threats like ransomware and data breaches made up 75% of reported incidents.
AI’s Growing Role in Cybercrime
For the first time, the IC3 included an AI-focused section, highlighting its use in 22,364 complaints and $893 million in losses though the FBI cautioned that actual figures may be higher due to underreporting. Key AI-driven schemes included:
- BEC attacks (high financial losses, despite fewer AI-specific reports)
- Romance/confidence scams (fake profiles, voice cloning)
- Employment fraud (deepfake interviews, forged documents)
- Investment cons (AI-generated videos impersonating public figures)
Complaints for these scams spiked significantly from 2023 to 2025, with corresponding increases in financial losses.
Government Impersonation Scams Surge
One notable outlier was government impersonation scams, which saw a 128% increase in complaints (from 14,190 in 2023 to 32,424 in 2025). The FBI previously warned of AI-generated voice and text messages mimicking senior U.S. officials to target government personnel and contacts.
The report underscores how cybercriminals are leveraging AI to refine traditional scams, making them more profitable and harder to detect. While AI-related losses remain a fraction of the total, their rapid growth signals a shifting threat landscape.
Source: https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/07/cybercrime_losses_reach_alltime_high/
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/fbi
"id": "FBI1776097914",
"linkid": "fbi",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "4/2026",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "6",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the economy of geographical region"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': ['finance',
'government',
'technology',
'various'],
'location': 'United States',
'type': 'general public, businesses, government '
'personnel'}],
'attack_vector': ['AI-enhanced scams',
'social engineering',
'deepfake technology',
'voice cloning'],
'date_detected': '2025',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025',
'description': 'The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report revealed a historic '
'surge in cybercrime, with reported losses reaching $20.87 '
'billion. Complaints submitted to the Internet Crime Complaint '
'Center (IC3) surpassed one million, a 17% increase from 2024. '
'Key threats included phishing, investment scams, business '
'email compromise (BEC), tech support scams, ransomware, and '
'data breaches. AI-driven schemes such as BEC attacks, romance '
'scams, employment fraud, and investment cons contributed '
'significantly to the losses.',
'impact': {'customer_complaints': '1,000,000+ complaints',
'financial_loss': '$20.87 billion'},
'investigation_status': 'Reported',
'lessons_learned': 'Cybercriminals are leveraging AI to refine traditional '
'scams, making them more profitable and harder to detect. '
'AI-driven schemes are rapidly growing and contributing to '
'significant financial losses.',
'motivation': ['financial gain', 'fraud'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': ['AI-enhanced scams',
'underreporting of AI-related '
'incidents',
'increased sophistication of '
'cybercriminal tactics']},
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2025',
'source': 'FBI Internet Crime Report 2025'}],
'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'FBI IC3'},
'title': 'FBI Reports Record $20.87 Billion in Cybercrime Losses for 2025, '
'Driven by AI-Enhanced Scams',
'type': ['phishing',
'investment scams',
'business email compromise (BEC)',
'tech support scams',
'ransomware',
'data breaches',
'government impersonation scams']}