Investment scams that originated on social media generated $1.1 billion in reported losses last year, more than half the total, according to the FTC. They were not, however, the most frequently reported type.

That distinction belongs to shopping scams. Over 40% of people who lost money to a social media scam said they had clicked on an ad and ordered something, only to receive nothing, a counterfeit, or something entirely different from what was advertised, the FTC reported. The ads typically promote high-priced items at suspiciously low prices; clicking through routes buyers to sites impersonating established retailers.

Romance scams round out the three main categories. Nearly 60% of people who reported losing money to a romance scam in 2025 said it began on social media, per FTC data. Scammers draw on profile details to build credibility, then manufacture a crisis requiring money. Some take a longer route: they introduce fake investment platforms after establishing an emotional connection, the FTC has noted, blending the two fraud types into one.

On the investment side, the FTC has warned that scammers may take over a real user's account and use that person's identity to pitch investment opportunities to their existing followers. The trusted face provides cover; the fraud is what's being sold, according to FTC consumer guidance published last year.

The practical gap between these categories is worth holding onto. Shopping scams hit more people but tend to involve smaller individual losses. Investment scams reach fewer victims but can cause serious financial damage. The behaviors that create exposure differ by type, and so do the defenses.

The FTC data dismantles a comfortable assumption: that this kind of fraud happens to someone else, or to a particular kind of person.

Every age group except those 80 and older reported losing more money to scams originating on social media than through any other contact method, the FTC found. Among adults 80 and over, social media ranked second only to phone calls as the leading source of reported scam losses. That's not a peripheral finding for any demographic.

Shopping scam victims reported purchases across a wide range of ordinary categories: clothing, cosmetics, auto parts, pets, according to the FTC. The pattern tracks wherever social advertising reaches people who are already shopping, which covers most of ordinary consumer behavior. That's what makes social media the dominant fraud environment now: not a specific vulnerability, but the sheer overlap with how people spend their time online.

The FTC data identifies where reported losses are most heavily concentrated by platform, though it does not explain why certain platforms rank higher than others.

Facebook generated more reported scam losses in 2025 than any other social media platform, according to the FTC. The reported losses from Facebook alone exceeded what Americans reported losing to text message and email scams combined, two channels previously treated as primary fraud delivery methods. WhatsApp and Instagram ranked second and third, placing three Meta-owned platforms at the top of the list.

Impersonation runs through much of the activity on all three. Across all fraud categories, impersonation scams rank as the top fraud reported to the FTC year after year, with consumers reporting nearly $3 billion in losses to impersonators in 2024, per FTC consumer data published last year. On social platforms, that includes both hacked friend accounts used to push investment pitches and ads or profiles mimicking known brands to drive shopping fraud.

The FTC's guidance maps directly to the patterns above. Each recommendation corresponds to a specific risk.

For investment scams: never let someone you've met only on social media direct your investment decisions, the FTC advises. Guaranteed-return pitches are a consistent red flag. If a friend's account appears to be promoting an opportunity, contact that person through a separate channel before engaging. Account takeovers use trusted identities as cover, the FTC has warned, and a quick text or email can confirm whether the account has been compromised.

For shopping scams: verify the seller through an independent search before purchasing anything promoted in a social media ad, rather than clicking through the ad itself. Most victims reported receiving nothing, a knockoff, or the wrong item after being routed to brand-impersonation sites, according to the FTC.

For romance and profile-based scams: restricting who can view your social media profile and contact list limits the raw material scammers use to build personalized approaches, the FTC advises. That defense applies to both romance fraud and the investment pitches that sometimes follow an established connection.

Suspected scams can be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Investment-specific fraud can be reported to the SEC at sec.gov/tcr, per FTC consumer guidance.

Social media fraud is no longer associated with specific demographics or unusual online behavior. The 2025 FTC data shows it concentrated in the same platforms where people shop, date, manage relationships, and look for financial returns. That's most people, across most age groups, in the course of ordinary activity.

The frequency-severity split is the most actionable frame the data offers. Shopping scams are widespread but tend to involve smaller losses. Investment scams, at $1.1 billion, account for over half the total reported damage despite being less common. Knowing which type poses the greater risk given your own online behavior is a more useful starting point than any single headline number.