A congressional review finds federal agencies cannot say how much scam money is lost or returned, while the FBI reports losses above $2 million an hour.
Americans lost nearly $18 billion to online scams in 2025, and only a small part of that is known to have come back. A new congressional investigation says the federal response is scattered across agencies. It also says no one keeps a full count of what is lost, seized or returned to victims.
The review was led by Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia, both Democrats on Congress's Joint Economic Committee. It says federal agencies do not have a combined record of cyberfraud losses, money seized from overseas scam compounds, or money returned to victims. It also says the government does not give banks and social media companies enough reason to spot and stop abuse early, while still protecting user privacy.
The Secret Service figure covers many kinds of fraud, not only online scams. The agencies also use different time periods and categories, which makes the numbers hard to compare.
Americans 60 and older reported about $7.7 billion in losses, up 60% from 2024. That was the highest total of any age group. People under 18 reported nearly $13 million across 13,168 complaints. Experts say the true totals are likely higher, because many victims stay quiet out of embarrassment, fear of judgment, or a belief that nothing can be recovered.
Suzanne Sando, a fraud analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research, says victims report to many groups that run on separate systems. That means there is no true accounting of losses, and the real total is probably higher than reported. She also points to artificial intelligence, including deepfakes, which are fake images, voices or videos that make people seem to say or do things they never did.
The report urges new laws. One is the ReportScams.Gov Act, a bipartisan bill from Hassan and Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott. It would require a unified federal strategy and a central place where Americans can find information and help. The report also calls for holding accountable countries that enable scam compounds. The article does not say when, or whether, any of this will pass.
The report argues that a stronger response could give victims confidence to report scams quickly, which helps enforcement. For readers, the lesson is simple. If you are scammed, do not wait and do not stay silent out of embarrassment. Speed and reporting help investigators.
If you are scammed, report it quickly and do not stay silent out of embarrassment, because delays make recovery harder.
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