District of Columbia Scam Report: What's Targeting DC and How to Fight Back
District of Columbia residents filed 3,113 scam and cybercrime complaints with the FBI in 2025 and reported $97.4 million in losses — the 35th-highest total among the 50 states and DC. Here's what those numbers look like up close, which scams are actually hitting District of Columbia, and exactly where to report one.
Reviewed by the Cautellus team · Last updated July 2026
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2025 Annual Report. These are reported figures — the FBI estimates most victims never file, so real losses run far higher.
How District of Columbia Compares
Nationally, Americans filed 1,008,597 complaints and reported $20.877 billion in losses in 2025 — up 26% from the year before, with an average loss of $20,699 per complaint.
District of Columbia ranks 43rd in raw complaint volume and 35th in total losses. Adjusted for population, it ranks 1st in complaints and 1st in losses per 100,000 residents. That per-capita rank is significantly worse than the raw numbers suggest — District of Columbia residents are being hit disproportionately hard for the state's size.
Scams Targeting District of Columbia Seniors
District of Columbia residents aged 60 and over filed 382 complaints and reported $10.1 million in losses in 2025 — roughly 10% of everything lost in the state. Nationally, the 60+ age group lost $7.748 billion, more than any other age bracket, led by investment fraud, tech-support scams, and romance scams.
If a parent or grandparent in District of Columbia gets a suspicious call, text, or pop-up, have them scan it first — before anyone moves money.
Cryptocurrency Fraud in District of Columbia
448 District of Columbia complaints referenced cryptocurrency in 2025, with $37.0 million in associated losses — about 38% of the state's reported total. Most of it is investment fraud: “pig butchering” schemes that start with a friendly message on social media, a dating app, or a wrong-number text, and end at a fake trading platform that won't let you withdraw. Crypto ATM payment demands — for “bail,” “back taxes,” or “securing your account” — are the other major pattern. No legitimate business or government agency takes payment through a crypto ATM.
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Scan Now — It's FreeScam Patterns Hitting District of Columbia
Federal-employee-targeted phishing
DC posted the highest per-capita fraud losses in the nation in 2025 — $14 million per 100,000 residents. Phishing that impersonates agency HR, security clearance processes, and federal benefits systems lands harder in a city where everyone works for or with the government.
Government impersonation with a local twist
Fake “US Marshals” and “FBI” calls threatening arrest are a national pattern, but DC residents also get spoofed calls appearing to come from actual federal building phone numbers.
Rental scams in a high-churn market
DC's constant turnover of staffers, interns, and fellows feeds fake apartment listings that collect deposits for units the scammer never controlled.
How to Report a Scam in District of Columbia
- 1If money moved, call your bank first. Ask for the fraud department and request a recall or reversal. Minutes matter more than anything else on this list.
- 2File with the FBI at ic3.gov. Fast reports give the FBI's Recovery Asset Team a chance to freeze wire transfers — and your complaint becomes part of the same dataset this page is built on.
- 3Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. FTC reports feed the Consumer Sentinel network used by law enforcement nationwide.
- 4File with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. State consumer-protection offices mediate complaints, issue local warnings, and bring enforcement actions against scammers operating in District of Columbia.
- 5Warn the next person. Share what happened on Cautellus so the phone number, website, or username gets flagged for everyone else who searches it.
FAQs
How much money did District of Columbia residents lose to scams in 2025?
District of Columbia residents reported $97.4 million in losses across 3,113 complaints filed with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2025 — the 35th-highest total among the 50 states and DC. Actual losses are higher, since most scams are never reported.
How do I report a scam in District of Columbia?
File with the FBI at ic3.gov (especially if you lost money — fast reporting helps the FBI's Recovery Asset Team attempt to freeze transfers), report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. If money left your bank account, call your bank's fraud department immediately.
Are older District of Columbia residents targeted more?
District of Columbia residents aged 60 and over filed 382 complaints and reported $10.1 million in losses in 2025 — about 10% of the state's reported losses. Nationally, people 60+ lost $7.748 billion, more than any other age group.
Other States in the South
Before You Pay, Click, or Reply
Every scam pattern on this page shares one weakness: it falls apart under a second opinion. If a text, email, link, or phone number feels off, run it through the Cautellus scanner before you act — it checks against 10,000+ confirmed scam entities aggregated from Reddit, FBI IC3, FTC, and global phishing databases, refreshed every 6 hours.
Think you've received a scam?
Paste a suspicious message, email, or URL into our free AI scanner for instant analysis.
Scan Now — It's FreeSources: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2025 Annual Report — state complaint, loss, per-capita, 60+, and cryptocurrency tables.