F-Secure Scam Intelligence & Impacts Report 2025
Behind every scam is a human cost. This year’s online scam report reveals how fraud has evolved into a psychological, social, and systemic weapon—reshaping trust among consumers, service providers, and the digital systems that connect them.
Key Findings
F-Secure global insights and fraud data analysis reveal a disconnect: most people trust their ability to spot scams—yet nearly half still fell victim. Overconfidence leaves consumers exposed, and stigma leaves many too ashamed to speak out, making scams among the most underreported crimes today.
Key Findings 1 of 5
Confidence ≠ Resilience
69% of people believe they can spot a scam—but 43% of those individuals still fell victim in the past year.
F-Secure Consumer Market Survey, January 2025
Key Findings 2 of 5
Victimization is Rising
Scam rates doubled in the USA from 2024 to 2025. In Vietnam, 90% of respondents were scammed last year.
F-Secure Consumer Market Survey, January 2025
Key Findings 3 of 5
Young Adults Are Most Exposed
Individuals aged 18–34 face more than double the scam risk of adults aged 65–74.
F-Secure Consumer Market Survey, January 2025
Key Findings 4 of 5
Underreporting is Widespread
Only 7% of scams are reported globally, largely due to victim blaming and feelings of shame.
GASA analysis of multiple data sources, 2024
Key Findings 5 of 5
Consumers Want Protection
50% are willing to pay for scam protection—especially younger adults who expect it from service providers.
F-Secure Consumer Market Survey, January 2025
What’s in the Report?
What’s in the Report?
Scams are damaging banks, insurers, and financial institutions. In 2023, cyber crime cost the US $159 billion, resulting in record fraud reports and increased insurance claims. The solution? Reduce strain on services while maximizing value with F‑Secure protection.¹
Scams are damaging banks, insurers, and financial institutions. In 2023, cyber crime cost the US $159 billion, resulting in record fraud reports and increased insurance claims. The solution? Reduce strain on services while maximizing value with F‑Secure protection.¹
Scams are damaging banks, insurers, and financial institutions. In 2023, cyber crime cost the US $159 billion, resulting in record fraud reports and increased insurance claims. The solution? Reduce strain on services while maximizing value with F‑Secure protection.¹
Download the Report
Explore comprehensive consumer data and scam insights in the F‑Secure Scam Intelligence & Impacts Report 2025.
Dive Deeper into the Insights
2025 Scam Landscape: How Overconfidence Leaves Consumers Vulnerable
Scams don’t just exploit gaps in knowledge—they prey on overconfidence. Based on new market survey findings and scam statistics, this chapter unpacks the paradox of modern cyber crime: the more confident consumers feel, the more vulnerable they become.
By Timo Salmi
Senior Solution Marketing Manager, F‑Secure
Humanizing Scams: “How Could You Be So Stupid?”—A Victim’s Story
Why do people fall for scams? In this chapter, Tracy Hall recounts being the final victim of con man Hamish McLaren—revealing how he manipulated her trust through scam psychology and underscoring the need to put people at the center of scam prevention and recovery.
Tracy Hall
Author, Speaker, and Advocate
The AI Scam Boom: 4 Ways Scammers Are Using Artificial Intelligence in 2025
AI is fueling a new wave of scams, helping threat actors scale faster and appear more convincing. This chapter breaks down AI security threats and explores the human cost of these increasingly sophisticated attacks.
Dr Megan Squire
Threat Intelligence Researcher, F‑Secure
The Silent Toll of Scams: Breaking the Cycle of Shame and Inaction
Drawing on cyber fraud statistics from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), this chapter explores the deeper human toll of scams—from victim shaming to silence driven by stigma—and why awareness alone isn’t enough.
Jorij Abraham
Managing Director, Global Anti-Scam Alliance
Risk vs Reality: Crypto Feels Dangerous—But Is Fear Justified?
From crypto hype fueling consumer anxiety to billion-dollar scam networks, this chapter demystifies the cryptocurrency fraud landscape and explores how everyday users can protect themselves in a system built for speed, not safety.
Laura Kankaala
Head of Threat Intelligence, F‑Secure
The Future of Trust: Reckoning with an Increasingly Unreliable Digital World
Grounded in new foresight research, this chapter explores how consumer coping behaviors are evolving in response to an increasingly untrustworthy internet—and how protection must adapt in parallel.
Dr Laura James
Vice President of Research, F‑Secure
Inside Scam Centers: The Dual Realities of Privilege and Exploitation
From designer-clad scam call center employees to trafficked workers forced into scam farms, this chapter exposes the dual realities behind global fraud operations and why service providers must move beyond stereotypes to protect consumers.
Laura Kankaala
Head of Threat Intelligence, F‑Secure
The Future of Scams: What the Next 5 Years Could Bring
Scams are adapting fast—and the next wave could be more personal than ever. This chapter explores what might come next, from AI agents and all-in identity theft to moments of trust that open the door to deception.
Insights from Sarogini Muniyandi, Joel Latto, and Laura Kankaala
