Cybersecurity Policy Report, FBI: AI-Powered Cyber Crimes Cost U.S. Victims $893M in 2025, (Apr 7, 2026)
Organizations Mentioned:Federal Bureau of Investigation
Cyber criminals using AI (artificial intelligence) were responsible for 22,364 complaints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2025 and bilked individuals or organizations out of $893 million, according to the FBI’s annual Internet Crime Report.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) specifically tracked AI-enabled cyber crime for the first time in this year’s report, the FBI noted in a news release.
“Like most technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is a tool which can be used for legitimate, helpful purposes or for criminal motives. AI technology enables the creation of convincing synthetic content, such as social media profiles and personalized conversations, often in mass quantities,” the report says.
“AI-enabled synthetic content is becoming increasingly difficult to detect and easier to make, which allows criminal actors to potentially conduct successful fraud schemes against individuals, businesses, and financial institutions,” it says.
Synthetic content is especially useful in business e-mail compromise scams, which occur when hackers spoof a business executive's e-mail or voicemail and send messages to subordinates requesting seemingly legitimate money transfers to accounts controlled by the scammers, the report indicates.
“Chat generators can quickly create official-sounding emails mimicking a company's CEO or other officials. These emails can contain phishing links or directions to wire funds. Voice cloning can also be used to request wire payment,” it says.
IC3 received 1.1 million complaints in 2025, an increase from 859,532 in 2024, the FBI said. “Phishing/spoofing, extortion, and investment schemes were the most frequently reported complaints,” it said. “Americans over 60 reported approximately $7.7 billion in losses, up 37% from 2024.”
“It has never been more important to be diligent with your cybersecurity, social media footprint, and electronic interactions,” said Jose Perez, the operations director for the FBI’s criminal and cyber branch. “Cyber threats and cyber-enabled crime will continue to evolve as the world embraces emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.”
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