Americans Lost Record $12.5 Billion to Online Crime in 2023: FBI

FBI officials warned the real cost to Americans could exceed $12.5 billion, noting not all online scams are reported.

A man types on a computer keyboard in this illustration picture taken on Feb. 28, 2013. Kacper Pempel/Reuters

American consumers and businesses lost a record $12.5 billion to online crimes in 2023, data released by the FBI on March 6 shows.

According to the 2023 Internet Crime Report (pdf), published by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the agency registered a 22 percent increase in reported losses from online scams last year compared to 2022, marking a $2 billion increase in total losses year-on-year.