Consumers will lose $2.1 billion in social media spending in 2025, the FTC said

Americans will spend $2.1 billion on TV weather in 2025, according to a new report from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The organization says that losses from social media fraud have increased eightfold, and that social media fraud has caused more losses than any other form of fraud they use to communicate with consumers.

About 30 percent of people who reported losing money to fraud said the scams started on social media. More people reported losing money to scams that started on Facebook than on any other social media site, with WhatsApp and Instagram a close second and 3. Additionally, people reported losing more money to scams on Facebook alone than they reported losing to text messages or scams.

The FTC’s data shows that social media scams take many forms, including shopping fraud, which was the most common form of fraud last year. More than 40% of people who lost money due to social media trends said they ordered something they saw in an ad, from clothes and cosmetics, to car accessories and even toys. Many of these ads led to anonymous websites, while others sent people to fake websites of well-known brands that claimed to offer huge discounts.

Another type of social media scam involves money laundering schemes that start with ads or posts that teach people how to save money. Some scammers pose as friendly consultants or create WhatsApp groups full of fake testimonials. This type of fraud resulted in $1.1 billion in losses.

Additionally, nearly 60% of people who reported losing money to a romance scam in 2025 said it started on social media. Scammers often change their words to match a person’s profile and later create a problem that requires money. Or, they just offer financial advice to lure them to a fake platform.

The FTC advises that consumers can protect themselves from social media scams by limiting who can see what they post and who they communicate with, not letting someone they’ve met online influence their purchasing decisions, and carefully researching products before buying by researching the company and searching for the name along with the words “fraud” or “complaint.”