A new report published Tuesday by Gallup and Stop Scams Alliance found that 12% of successful scams in 2025 involved artificial intelligence or deepfakes, highlighting the growing role of AI in modern fraud. The survey also found that 6% of U.S. adults, or roughly 15 million people, were scammed out of money last year.
The report, titled United States of Scams: The Financial and Emotional Fallout, surveyed 5,173 U.S. adults between Jan. 8 and Feb. 18, 2026. Researchers noted that AI-driven fraud may be undercounted because many victims may not realize AI tools were used in the scam.
AI Makes Fraud Harder To Detect
Americans lost an estimated $68 billion to scams in 2025, or roughly $186 million per day, according to the survey. Nearly one in four Americans (24%) said they have been scammed at least once during adulthood.
Stop Scams Alliance founder and CEO Ken Westbrook said the scale of fraud has reached alarming levels. "These guys aren’t called organized crime for nothing. They’re actually organized, and they’re using their organization to start attacking us with scale now to a tune of $68 billion," he told NBC News.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence that AI is accelerating fraud. A Bankrate survey released in April found 40% of U.S. adults experienced some form of financial fraud in the past year, while fraud experts said AI has made it "never been easier to commit fraud."
In February, fraud prevention experts also warned that deepfake scams were becoming an "industrialized fraud channel," with criminals increasingly using voice cloning, fake endorsements and AI-generated impersonations to scale attacks.
That trend has already surfaced across major platforms. In May, Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) faced scrutiny after a report alleged scam advertisers used AI-generated videos of public figures including Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey to target seniors with fake Medicare-related offers.
Financial Loss Is Only Part Of The Damage
The Gallup survey found scams caused significant emotional and financial strain. Twenty-one percent of scam victims reported severe financial hardship, while another 25% reported moderate hardship. More notably, 73% said being scammed negatively affected their mental health or well-being.
Fraudulent websites were involved in 40% of scams, while phone calls, texts and emails each played a role in nearly half of reported cases. In 49% of scams, victims were tricked into sending money directly, with payment platforms such as Zelle and PayPal Holdings Inc. (NYSE:PYPL) among the most commonly used payment methods.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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