Seven Top Financial Scams in 2026

Takeaways: Top Financial Scams, Risks and How To Protect Yourself

How Common Are Financial Scams in 2026?

Fraud added up to $16 billion lost in 2025, up 25% from 2024 and the highest amount on record, according to a 2026 U.S. Federal Trade Commission release.

Scammers tricked victims using old-fashioned means such as phone calls along with current methods like social media, websites, apps, online ads and browser pop-ups.

Social media scams are a particular vulnerability, with 30% of reports starting on social media and $2.1 billion lost to social media scammers overall in 2025, according to the FTC.

Here are a few of the top financial scams and fraud reports last year and this year, according to the FTC. It's important to note that not all fraud is reported, and not all claims turn out to be fraud.

Seven Common Money Scams

1. Imposter Scams

Imposter scams are the top scams already reported for 2026, with more than 468,000 reports so far this year.

In 2025, these scams made up one out of every three fraud reports. Imposter scams caused losses of $3.5 billion in 2025, and happen when a fraudster pretends to be someone else, to convince you to send money to them.

The FTC notes that the most expensive losses are associated with bank impersonators and government impersonators. These fraudsters pose as real businesses or government entities, but they may also pretend to be a tech-support company, charitable organization or romantic interest.

Scammers may use fake websites to steal your online account information, including your bank account number and login credentials.

Or they might harass and threaten you to act immediately to get you to give up sensitive personal information, send money or authorize payments.

Often, scammers try new tactics once victims are savvy enough to avoid the previous ones. In 2025, the FTC warned scammers were posing as government agents asking consumers to buy and deliver gold bars.

2. Online Shopping Scams

Online shopping scams include charges for undisclosed costs, undelivered items and internet auction fraud. These are the top-reported scams in 2026, according to the FTC.

As another example, if you search for a brand-name product on social media, you might get results advertising extremely low-priced "deals" for that item. The scammer company, however, is selling knockoff or fake items, or sets up a fake site to draw in consumers, to steal your account information.

Scammers also use fake websites to capture login credentials. They might then try the username and password on financial institutions' websites, attempting to gain access to your accounts.

One new scam targeting farmers in 2026 pretends to be a farm-equipment business that will send a tractor or other equipment in exchange for a wire transfer of payment, but the equipment never arrives.

3. Investment Related Scams

Investment scams promise "proven," "guaranteed" or "secret" methods for making easy money with little or no risk, but they say it's a limited-time offer and encourage you to "act now." Investment scams hit victims with significant losses, particularly when they start on social media.

More than half the money reportedly lost to scammers ($1.1 billion) was to investment scammers in 2025. So far in 2026, the FTC has received reports of $3.1 million lost to investment scams, with a median loss of $10,000, far higher than any other category reported.

Scams might even show off screenshots and graphics of impressive returns for these trending topics:

• Day trading
• Cryptocurrency
• Real estate
• Art
• Gems
• Precious metals and coins

A new tactic involves taking over social media accounts to exploit victims' trust in real-world relationships. If your high-school best friend starts posting about a fantastic investment, you're more likely to hand over funds.

Another scam emerged in response, according to the FBI — fictitious law firms that claim to recover funds lost to crypto scams.

4. Business and Job Opportunity Scams

Business and job opportunity scams are typically fake offers for work or help with a business in an attempt to steal your personal information or your money. You might receive them by text or another messaging mode, or through social media. One in three people reported losing money on a job or business opportunity scam that started on social media, according to the FTC.

These types of scams grew massively in the past few years and can include:

• Companies offering quick money online for various tasks.
• Job recruiters.
• Companies that say they want to employ you to work at home.
• Entrepreneurs who want to help you start a business.
• Your "new boss."

You're asked to give up your account information or funds so you can get paid. The fraudsters also might attempt to use you as a "money mule," by asking you to deposit a check that they send to someone else.

As the FTC notes: "Never pay anyone to get paid, or to get a job. That's a sure sign of a scam."

5. Internet and Mobile Service Scams

Scammers posing as internet and mobile service providers might offer a discount on these critical modern services. You might even be offered a free phone or a smart watch.

Then, the scammer will often ask you to pay for the discount with a gift card. Real companies won't ask you to do this.

The FTC has received complaints about scams using fake offers from companies like AT&T, Spectrum or Comcast Xfinity.

Other scams reported by consumers involved unauthorized call charges and misleading prepaid phone card offers, among others, according to the FTC.

6. Debt and Credit Scams

Debt and credit scams involve fraudsters charging upfront fees before assisting with debt or promising a loan in exchange for an upfront payment.

Many of these scams promise to help borrowers manage their student loan debt or gain access to credit, but instead keep the victim's money.

For instance, debt relief scams involve scammers promising to eliminate your debt for an upfront fee. Most "legitimate organizations won't try to charge you before they settle any of your debts or enter you into a debt management plan," according to the FTC.

Student loan scams work in much the same way, and may be on the upswing now that student loan repayment is in force. These may trick consumers into paying illegal upfront fees toward "guaranteed" loan forgiveness.

7. Rental Scams

In December 2025, the FTC warned of nearly 65,000 rental scams reported since 2020, with people losing about $65 million.

With these scams, fraudsters create convincing fake rental listings, often by copying real ads (sometimes for homes being sold, not rented), swapping in their own contact information, and reposting them elsewhere. Others invent fake listings featuring below-market rent.

Scammers may demand upfront fees or deposits before a viewing, push costly "credit check" sign-ups, or collect personal details to steal your identity.

About half of reported rental scams started on Facebook, with adults 18 to 29 three times more likely than others to report losses. Scammers target Facebook groups that college students use to find near-campus housing options.

Warning Signs and How To Protect Yourself

One of the best ways to protect yourself from a scam is to know the signs of a scam. While the stories change, scammers are fairly consistent in methods of initial contact, how they try to make you feel and the ways they demand money or information.

Faceless Outreach

The top ways people reported being contacted by scammers:

Unexpected and Emotional Request

Scammers could play on your trust to gain sensitive information, posing as an honest, well-known company, government agent or even a family member or friend.

To get that information, the scammer tries to make you feel one of the following emotions:

• Fear: Threatening your freedom, financial security or physical safety.
• Shame: Embarrassing you over your alleged actions or accidents.
• Anticipation: Enticing you with quick, easy money or a dream prize.
• Altruism: Playing on your sympathy after a disaster to ask for funds for a fake charity. The Washington Attorney General noted increased caution after the 2026 Nippon Dynawave paper mill disaster.

High-Pressure Sales Tactics and Demands

Scammers tell you to hurry and act now. They don't want you to have time to investigate, talk to trusted people or look up the scam.

Scammers aim to steal your money by using a method that makes it harder to recover. They often insist you pay up with one of these:

• Payment apps (like Zelle, Venmo, etc.)
• Wire transfer
• Cash
• Digital currency (Cryptocurrency)
• Gift card or prepaid debit card

Scammers may also try to get the following info from you to steal your identity and funds:

• Federal Student Aid ID number
• Social Security number
• Bank account information
• Credit card or debit card number

Big Picture: Ways to Avoid Scams

If you're suspicious about a request for money or information, search online for some of the language used in the request, plus "scam," "fraud" or "complaint."

Talk to someone you trust about the scam — even if you're worried it could be embarrassing. Alternatively, use contact information you look up yourself — not the contact information the caller gave you — to contact the friend, business or government agency for verification.

In the meantime, don't click links in texts or emails, or provide personal information or credit card details to someone who makes you feel uneasy, suspicious or uncomfortable.

Review your bank account regularly, including debit card transactions. Keep your online banking information and login credentials safe, as many scammers would like access to your accounts at financial institutions.

To protect yourself, never reuse a password and consider using a password generator to create complex and unique passwords for every site.

You can also research scam pages via the FTC.gov, FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center and Washington State Attorney General's Scam Alerts. You might even file a scam report of your own with local law enforcement or a government agency.

FAQs

Q: What Are the Top Scams in Washington State?

Top scams in Washington in 2026 included impostor, online shopping, business and job opportunity and internet services scams. These added up to almost $160 million in losses in 2026 in Washington state, with a median loss of $318.

Q: If I Get Scammed, Can I Get My Money Back from My Bank?

Most scammers request that you send or transfer money in a way that makes it impossible to get your money back. For this reason, be extremely careful and suspicious if anyone asks you to make a payment by bank transfer, cryptocurrency, payment app or wire transfer. A credit card is one of the safest ways to make an online payment due to consumer protections.

Q: What If Someone Calls and Says I Won a Prize?

Prize and sweepstakes scams pressure you to act now to receive money, cars and other fabulous prizes. Or the scams say you won a foreign lottery. These scams try to get you to pay up to claim a prize that doesn't exist. Read more and temper your excitement before believing you're a lucky winner.

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