Government Impersonation Scam Losses Nearly Doubled to $798 Million in 2025 [Data]

Picture this: your phone rings. It's a federal agent, and your Social Security number just turned up in a criminal investigation. For a fee, they can make it go away. Or maybe it's the IRS, warning that you owe back taxes and police are already on their way unless you pay right now.

Neither caller is real. Both are running one of the fastest-growing frauds in America: government impersonation scams. These IRS and Social Security scams cost Americans nearly $800 million in 2025 alone.

To understand how these scams are changing, the All About Cookies research team analyzed three years of government impersonation complaint data from the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), including reported losses, victim ages, and cryptocurrency involvement.

Both complaints and reported losses nearly doubled in 2025, but the data also reveals important differences in who is losing money and how scammers collect payments.

Key findings

• Government impersonation losses reached nearly $798 million in 2025, up 96.7% from 2024.
• Complaints increased 86.7% year over year to 32,424, while reported losses grew roughly 3.7 times faster than overall IC3 losses.
• Adults 60 and older filed 26.6% of complaints but accounted for 51.8% of government impersonation losses.
• Victims 60+ reported an average of $47,891 in losses per complaint, compared with $24,610 across all age groups.
• Cryptocurrency was the most frequently reported transaction type in government impersonation fraud, accounting for 40% of reported transaction types. Complaints with a cryptocurrency nexus accounted for 35.2% of losses.

Government impersonation losses grew nearly 4 times faster than overall cybercrime

Government impersonation scams are a type of fraud in which criminals pose as government officials or law enforcement officers to extort money. Common examples include claims that someone missed jury duty or that criminals used their identity to commit a crime. The fake official then demands payment to resolve the supposed problem.

Government impersonation complaints rose steadily between 2023 and 2024, then accelerated sharply in 2025.

In 2023, the FBI recorded 14,190 government impersonation complaints and $394.1 million in reported losses. Complaints increased 22.4% to 17,367 the following year, but losses grew just 2.9% to $405.6 million. As a result, reported losses per complaint fell from $27,770 to $23,356.

That pattern changed in 2025. Complaints jumped 86.7% to 32,424, while reported losses increased 96.7% to $797.9 million. Over the full three-year period, government impersonation losses more than doubled.

The increase was also unusually steep compared with internet crime overall. Total financial losses reported to the IC3 grew 26% in 2025, while government impersonation losses grew 96.7%, roughly 3.7 times the overall growth rate.

Despite that surge, the average loss per government impersonation complaint remained below its 2023 level. This suggests the rise in total losses was driven primarily by the growing number of complaints, rather than a consistent increase in the amount lost per report.

Government impersonation complaints and losses, 2023–2025

Year	Complaints	Losses	Loss per complaint
2023	14,190	$394,050,518	$27,770
2024	17,367	$405,624,084	$23,356
2025	32,424	$797,943,193	$24,610

Adults 60+ account for over half of government impersonation losses

Adults under 60 account for most government impersonation complaints, but older Americans bear a disproportionate share of the financial losses. That gap has widened over the past three years, with adults 60 and older now accounting for more than half of all reported losses.

In 2025, adults 60+ filed 8,628 government impersonation complaints and reported $413.2 million in losses. Although they accounted for just 26.6% of complaints, they caused 51.8% of the losses.

The difference is especially clear when comparing average losses. Adults 60+ reported $47,891 in losses per complaint, compared with approximately $13,332 for complainants under 60 whose ages were reported. That's about 3.6 times as much per complaint.

The gap has also widened over time. In 2023, older adults accounted for 24.8% of government impersonation complaints and 45.6% of losses. By 2025, their share of complaints had risen slightly to 26.6%, but their share of losses had climbed to 51.8%.

Between 2024 and 2025 alone, government impersonation complaints from adults 60+ increased 90.8%, while their reported losses grew 98.6%. That increase closely mirrors the national surge, but older adults still experienced substantially higher losses per complaint.

Government impersonation complaints and losses among adults 60+, 2023–2025

Year	Complaints	Reported losses	Share of all government impersonation losses
2023	3,517	$179,646,103	45.6%
2024	4,521	$208,096,366	51.3%
2025	8,628	$413,206,251	51.8%

These figures reinforce the importance of helping older relatives recognize impersonation tactics and stay safe online. For additional context, see our research on cybercrime affecting seniors by state.

Share of 2025 government impersonation complaints vs. losses, by age

Age group	Complaints	% of total complaints	Losses	% of total losses	Loss per complaint
Under 20	420	1.3%	$8,583,219	1.1%	$20,436
20–29	3,401	10.5%	$50,358,843	6.3%	$14,807
30–39	5,446	16.8%	$82,005,707	10.3%	$15,058
40–49	6,136	18.9%	$55,019,630	6.9%	$8,967
50–59	5,636	17.4%	$84,516,785	10.6%	$14,996
60+	8,628	26.6%	$413,206,251	51.8%	$47,891
Age not reported*	2,757	8.5%	$104,252,758	13.1%	$37,814
Total	32,424	100%	$797,943,193	100%	$24,610

*The age-not-reported figures are calculated by subtracting the published age-group totals from the national government impersonation totals. The FBI separately reports 99 complaints and $1,412,003 in losses among people 17 or younger; those figures are included in the under-20 category and are not counted again here.

Crypto-linked scams account for 35% of government impersonation losses

Government impersonation scammers don't rely on a single way to collect money. According to the FBI's 2025 IC3 report, cryptocurrency was the most frequently reported transaction type in these cases, followed by bank transfers, gift cards, cash, and payment cards.

Most frequently reported transaction types in government impersonation fraud

Transaction type	Share of reported transaction types
Cryptocurrency	40%
Wire transfer/ACH	21%
Prepaid card/gift card	15%
Cash	14%
Debit card/credit card	10%

These percentages describe the transaction types reported in government impersonation complaints, not the share of total financial losses attributable to each payment method.

Cryptocurrency also stands out when examining financial losses. In 2025, the FBI recorded 5,955 government impersonation complaints involving cryptocurrency, representing 18.4% of all complaints in the category. Those reports accounted for $281.1 million, or 35.2% of total government impersonation losses.

That works out to about $47,212 per cryptocurrency complaint, nearly twice the overall government impersonation average of $24,610. The figures suggest that crypto-related cases carry a particularly high financial impact, although the FBI's cryptocurrency designation does not necessarily mean every dollar was transferred through cryptocurrency.

These findings also show why consumers should be suspicious of anyone claiming to represent a government agency who demands payment through cryptocurrency, gift cards, or other unusual methods. For an example of this tactic, see our coverage of a fake IRS cryptocurrency scam.

How scammers use AI voices and fake government threats

The FBI's complaint data shows how quickly government impersonation losses have increased, but it doesn't establish a single cause. Its reports and public warnings do, however, identify several tactics that help explain how these schemes work:

• Cryptocurrency payments: Cryptocurrency is prominent in government impersonation complaints and associated with higher average reported losses. Unlike many traditional payments, cryptocurrency transfers can be difficult to reverse after the money has been sent.
• Pressure and threats: Scammers use fear-based scripts, such as claims about missed jury duty, arrest warrants, or stolen identities, to pressure victims into paying before verifying the caller's identity.
• Caller ID spoofing and AI-generated voices: Caller ID spoofing can make calls appear legitimate, while AI-generated voices can help criminals impersonate trusted figures. In 2025, the FBI warned about campaigns using AI-generated voice messages to impersonate senior U.S. officials. Available data does not show how much these tactics contributed to overall government impersonation losses.
• Recovery and follow-up scams: Criminals may also impersonate officials or recovery services while promising to retrieve money lost in an earlier scam. The FBI has documented these schemes in its reporting on cryptocurrency-related fraud.

The practical takeaway is that a convincing voice, official-sounding title, or seemingly legitimate phone number does not prove a caller represents a government agency.

How to avoid government impersonation scams

Government impersonation scams often depend on urgency. Taking time to verify a claim independently is one of the most effective ways to avoid pressure to send money.

• Verify the caller independently. If someone claims to represent the IRS, Social Security Administration, FBI, or another government agency, hang up and contact the agency using a phone number from its official website. Don't rely on the number displayed on caller ID.
• Never pay to avoid an arrest or investigation. Be especially suspicious of demands for cryptocurrency, gift cards, or immediate transfers. A caller threatening arrest unless you pay immediately is a major scam warning sign.
• Be cautious with unknown numbers. If you don't recognize the caller, let it go to voicemail. Knowing what to do if you answer a spam risk call can help you avoid sharing information under pressure.
• Protect your personal information. Scammers can use details like your address and phone number to make their stories sound convincing. Data broker removal can reduce some publicly available information, and a data removal service can help manage removal requests.
• Watch for identity misuse. If you've shared sensitive information with a scammer, consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze. The best identity theft protection services can also help monitor for certain signs of identity misuse, although they cannot prevent every scam.
• Report suspected fraud. Submit internet-enabled government impersonation scams to the FBI at IC3.gov. If you've sent money, contact your financial institution or payment provider immediately to ask about recovery options.

Methodology

All About Cookies analyzed government impersonation scam data from the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) annual reports covering 2023 through 2025. The analysis includes national complaint counts, reported financial losses, victim age groups, cryptocurrency involvement, and transaction types.

We calculated year-over-year changes using the FBI's published complaint and loss totals. Loss per complaint was calculated by dividing reported financial losses by the number of complaints in each category. Age-group shares were calculated against the national government impersonation totals. The age-not-reported category represents the difference between those totals and the published age-group figures.

The FBI's cryptocurrency-related complaint and loss figures are based on reports with a cryptocurrency nexus. They should not be interpreted as a complete breakdown of payment methods or proof that every reported loss was paid in cryptocurrency. The FBI reports transaction-type percentages separately.

IC3 data reflects complaints submitted to the FBI, not every government impersonation scam that occurred. Reported losses may differ from confirmed financial losses, and complaints do not necessarily represent unique victims.