Every year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the agency tasked with protecting the public from deceptive or unfair business practices, receives millions of fraud reports from consumers. To help consumers identify potential scams, the agency then shares information about the top scams with the public. Their latest findings? Imposter scams ranked as the #1 scam for the ninth year in a row.

An imposter scam is a fraud in which fraudsters pretend to be a trusted entity, such as the IRS, a business, or a loved one, to steal money or personal information. The scamsters use high-pressure tactics, creating a sense of urgency to force potential victims to make payments, often via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. In 2025, the FTC received more than one million reports about imposter scams, with reported losses increasing by nearly 20% to $3.5 billion.

Reports of government imposter scams were up by 40%, thanks in part to messages about overdue tolls. You might have seen variations on these. The fake messages, which are often sent by text, look like real toll collection programs—such as EZ-Pass or SunPass—to appear more credible. They typically threaten late fees or suspension of your vehicle registration if you don’t pay right away.

The level of urgency is key. Scammers want you to react before you verify. If you get a text message demanding money for unpaid tolls, reach out to the state’s toll agency using an official phone number or website. Don’t use the information from the text.

The same is true for text messages that are allegedly from the IRS or the Social Security Administration. Scammers may send texts or emails claiming that you are due a refund or that there is a problem with your account. The goal is to get you to click on links or to otherwise engage, so that fraudsters can steal your money—and possibly, your identity.

Fraud Is Getting Worse

If it feels like we’re talking about fraud more, you’re right. That’s because fraud is, by the numbers, getting worse. In 2025, consumers submitted three million fraud reports to the Consumer Sentinel Network, the FTC’s primary fraud-reporting hub. The CSN also aggregates reports from nearly 180 external data sources, including government agencies, consumer groups, and companies such as Microsoft, MoneyGram, Western Union, Apple, and Zelle. Their findings? Billions of dollars in reported losses.

In 2025, losses totaled $15.9 billion. That was up from 2024, when consumers submitted 2.6 million fraud reports and reported more than $12 billion in losses. Reported losses have risen every year for six years and are now nearly 430% higher than in 2020. And those are just the cases people reported. Since many victims never report scams because they feel embarrassed or powerless, the FTC estimates that the numbers are much higher. The agency suspects that the real cost........

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