**AI and Deepfakes Drive $68 Billion Scam Epidemic in the US, Survey Reveals**
A recent survey has unveiled a staggering increase in scams across the United States, with approximately 15 million Americans falling victim to fraudulent schemes in 2025. The total financial losses attributed to these scams reached an estimated $68 billion, averaging about $186 million stolen each day. The report, titled “United States of Scams: The Financial and Emotional Fallout,” was published on Tuesday by Gallup in collaboration with the Stop Scams Alliance and surveyed over 5,000 adults across the country.
The survey indicates that while 6% of respondents reported being scammed personally, an additional 4% noted that a household member had been victimized. In total, 24% of participants admitted to being scammed at some point in their adult lives, with 10% experiencing multiple scams.
Notably, AI-generated content and deepfakes were involved in a significant portion of these scams. Approximately 12% of victims indicated that their scams involved either AI technology or deepfake media. However, the authors of the survey caution that this figure may underestimate the true extent of AI-related fraud, as such content can often be difficult for victims to identify.
The survey detailed the most prevalent scam tactics, revealing that fraudulent websites designed to harvest financial information accounted for 40% of scams. Other common methods included advance-fee schemes at 24% and bogus investment offers at 19%. Scammers frequently impersonated trusted figures, with 19% posing as tech support staff, 15% as bank employees, and 14% as government officials to gain the trust of their victims.
AI-enabled fraud has evolved in various forms over recent years. Voice-cloning scams, which mimic the voices of relatives or executives in distress, have become increasingly common. Additionally, “romance scams” utilizing AI-generated personas and photos, as well as real-time video deepfakes used in corporate fraud, have also emerged as significant threats.
One of the most notable cases involved a finance employee at the British engineering firm Arup, who was deceived into transferring over $25 million to fraudsters during a hyper-targeted deepfake video call in January 2024. In this incident, the employee believed they were communicating with real colleagues, including what appeared to be the firm’s CFO, all of whom were actually AI-generated.
The survey further highlighted the financial impact of these scams, revealing that more than half (56%) of the scams resulted in losses of $500 or less. However, the average loss per incident was reported to be $5,578, with some scams leading to losses in the tens of thousands of dollars. Among households affected by scams, 21% described the financial consequences as a “severe hardship,” a figure that rose to 28% for those earning under $80,000 annually.
Beyond the financial ramifications, the survey also pointed to significant psychological effects on victims. A substantial 73% of those scammed reported experiencing a negative impact on their mental health or overall wellbeing, with 28% categorizing the impact as “very negative.”
As the prevalence of scams continues to rise, the findings of this survey underscore the urgent need for increased awareness and protective measures against AI-driven fraud. The report serves as a stark reminder of the evolving landscape of scams and the importance of vigilance in safeguarding personal and financial information.