Americans are losing staggering amounts of money to fraud. According to the latest available federal data from the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported more than $12.5 billion in losses, as scams ranging from bogus investment opportunities to impersonation schemes continued to drain bank accounts nationwide. That total increased by more than $2 billion from the previous year, underscoring just how costly fraud has become for households across the country.
The damage, however, isn't distributed evenly. Where consumers live can shape both their exposure to scams and the financial toll that follows. Florida, Georgia, Delaware, Nevada, and Maryland recorded the highest rates of fraud and other reports per capita in the latest data, but total dollars lost reveal a different picture of where scammers extracted the most money. And even those figures capture only reported incidents: The Federal Trade Commission's data is based on reports submitted by consumers rather than a comprehensive survey of fraud victims.
Stacker analyzed the Federal Trade Commission's latest available Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book, published in 2025, to determine which states were scammed out of the most money. States are ranked by the total amount consumers reported losing to fraud, with additional context on the number of fraud reports and the share of reports in which money was lost.
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1 / 25Indiana's $375 median fraud loss is among the lower figures in the top 25, yet losses statewide still topped $112 million. Disputes with credit bureaus and information furnishers were the state's most common consumer complaint, with identity theft and imposter scams close behind.
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2 / 25Fewer than 20,000 fraud reports were enough to push Utah's reported losses past $113 million. The state's $550 median loss helps explain that outsized financial toll, while imposter scams were the most common overall consumer complaint category reported by Utah residents.
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3 / 25Fraud was reported at a relatively high rate in Oregon, with about 708 reports for every 100,000 residents. Imposter scams were also the state's leading consumer report category, ahead of identity theft and online shopping and negative review complaints.
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4 / 25South Carolina residents reported more than $137 million disappearing to fraud, with a median loss of $450. More than a quarter of the state's overall consumer complaints involved credit bureaus and information furnishers, with identity theft and imposter scams next most common.
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5 / 25Nevada stands apart for how frequently fraud was reported relative to its population: roughly 775 reports per 100,000 residents, the highest rate of any state in this ranking. Its $519 median loss was also above the national median of $497, while credit bureau issues, identity theft, and imposter scams dominated Nevada's broader consumer reports.
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6 / 25A typical reported fraud loss in Missouri was $400, but the cumulative damage reached nearly $140 million. Identity theft and imposter scams trailed only narrowly behind credit bureau and information furnisher complaints, the state's top consumer report category.
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7 / 25Imposter scams were the most frequently reported consumer issue in Minnesota, accounting for nearly 1 in 5 reports in the state's FTC profile. Against that backdrop, Minnesotans filed more than 31,000 fraud reports and reported $144.6 million in losses.
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8 / 25Nearly 40,000 fraud reports put Tennessee's losses above $157 million. Complaints about credit bureaus and information furnishers made up the largest share of the state's broader consumer reports, with identity theft and imposter scams rounding out the top three.
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9 / 25Maryland combines a sizable financial toll with a high concentration of reported fraud: about 711 fraud reports were filed per 100,000 residents. Issues with credit bureaus and information furnishers made up 28% of the state's overall complaints on their own, more than identity theft and imposter scams combined.
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10 / 25More than 53,000 fraud reports propelled Michigan past the $200 million mark even though its $350 median loss was one of the lowest among the 25 states on this list. Michigan's broader consumer complaints most often centered on credit bureaus and information furnishers, identity theft, and imposter scams.
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11 / 25Identity theft, not credit bureau complaints, was the leading report category in Massachusetts, accounting for one-quarter of the state's overall consumer reports. Fraud losses nevertheless tell their own story: Massachusetts consumers reported more than $210 million lost across 40,845 fraud reports.
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12 / 25Colorado recorded one of the highest fraud-reporting rates among the states in the top 25, at roughly 773 reports per 100,000 people. Imposter scams were the state's most common overall consumer report category, and the median reported fraud loss reached $500.
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13 / 25Volume is a major part of Ohio's place on this list. Consumers filed more than 63,000 fraud reports even though the median loss was just $350; in the state's broader complaint data, identity theft and credit bureau issues tied as the leading categories, followed by imposter scams.
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14 / 25Reported fraud cost North Carolina consumers more than a quarter-billion dollars, built on more than 63,000 reports. Among the state's broader consumer complaints, credit bureau and information furnisher issues topped the list, ahead of identity theft and imposter scams.
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15 / 25Pennsylvania's relatively modest $350 median loss masks a much larger statewide impact: nearly 75,000 fraud reports added up to $285.4 million. Credit bureau and information furnisher disputes alone made up 28% of the state's overall consumer reports, with identity theft next at 17%.
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16 / 25Georgia enters the top 10 with more than $291 million in reported fraud losses. The state also had one of the nation's highest rates of fraud and other consumer reports overall, and its complaint mix skewed heavily toward credit bureaus and information furnishers, which accounted for 35% of Georgia's reports.
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17 / 25Virginia approached $300 million in reported fraud losses from fewer than 58,000 reports. Its consumer complaint mix was more evenly distributed than in some other states: credit bureau issues accounted for 19% of overall reports, while imposter scams and identity theft each represented 14%.
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18 / 25With roughly 728 fraud reports per 100,000 residents, Washington's losses weren't simply a function of being a populous state. Consumers reported more than $297 million lost, and imposter scams topped Washington's broader list of consumer complaint categories.
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19 / 25New Jersey crosses the $300 million threshold with a median reported fraud loss of $500. About a quarter of the state's overall consumer reports involved credit bureaus and information furnishers, with identity theft another major issue at 17%.
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20 / 25More than 71,000 fraud reports contributed to Illinois consumers losing $318.1 million. Nearly 3 in 10 of the state's broader consumer reports involved credit bureaus and information furnishers, the largest share of any category, with identity theft next at 19%.
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21 / 25Arizona's $600 median fraud loss is among the highest in the top 25, helping distinguish the state from others with comparable numbers of reports. Identity theft and credit bureau issues were tied as Arizona's most common overall report categories, with imposter scams close behind.
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22 / 25The scale changes sharply with New York: consumers filed nearly 119,000 fraud reports and reported more than half a billion dollars in losses. Credit bureaus and information furnishers drew the largest share of the state's overall consumer complaints, one-quarter of the total, with identity theft close behind.
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23 / 25Florida pairs enormous losses with unusually heavy consumer reporting. The state ranked first nationally for fraud and other reports per capita in the FTC's broader state rankings, while its 159,307 fraud reports resulted in $866.1 million in reported losses. More than a third of Florida's overall consumer reports (35%) involved credit bureau issues, with identity theft next at 20%.
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24 / 25No state except California lost more money to reported fraud than Texas. Texans filed more than 162,000 fraud reports, generating nearly $898 million in losses, and credit bureau issues, identity theft, and imposter scams topped the state's broader consumer complaints, in that order.
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25 / 25California is in a category of its own: reported fraud losses reached nearly $1.68 billion, almost twice the total in second-place Texas. The state also generated nearly 239,000 fraud reports, while identity theft, credit bureau issues, and imposter scams were among the most common problems reported by California consumers.
