Khaberni - A new report issued by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission states that Americans lost $2.1 billion due to scams that started on social media platforms during the year 2025, highlighting the growing risks associated with the digital space.
According to the report published on the "Techcrunch" platform, the losses from fraud related to social media doubled eight times compared to previous years, making these platforms the most costly means used by fraudsters to reach victims, surpassing text messaging and email.
Facebook endured the greatest losses followed by WhatsApp
Approximately 30% of those who reported financial losses stated that the scams began on social media networks, with "Facebook" leading the list of platforms in terms of the extent of losses, followed by "WhatsApp", and "Instagram" with a significant margin.
The report showed that shopping scams were the most widespread, pointing out that over 40% of the victims lost their money after purchasing products they saw in advertisements on social media platforms, some of which led to suspicious sites or fake pages impersonating well-known brands with enticing offers.
As for investment fraud, it was the most costly, causing losses amounting to $1.1 billion, and its methods varied between ads promising investment education, fake groups on WhatsApp offering sham certificates, to "advisors" who lure victims to non-existent investment platforms.
60% of the victims of emotional fraud
Risks were not limited to money and investment, as the report indicated that about 60% of those who fell victim to emotional fraud in 2025 began their stories on social media platforms, where fraudsters rely on building trust first before fabricating financial crises or drawing victims towards bogus investment opportunities.
On its part, the Federal Trade Commission has called on users to tighten privacy settings, limit the appearance of their personal data, not to trust any investment advice from electronic acquaintances, in addition to verifying companies before purchasing by searching for their name coupled with words like "fraud" or "complaint".
