Florida Scam Report: What's Targeting FL and How to Fight Back
Florida residents filed 71,843 scam and cybercrime complaints with the FBI in 2025 and reported $1.60 billion in losses — the 3rd-highest total among the 50 states and DC. Here's what those numbers look like up close, which scams are actually hitting Florida, 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 Florida 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.
Florida ranks 3rd in raw complaint volume and 3rd in total losses. Adjusted for population, it ranks 11th in complaints and 7th in losses per 100,000 residents.
Scams Targeting Florida Seniors
Florida residents aged 60 and over filed 17,147 complaints and reported $709.8 million in losses in 2025 — roughly 44% 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 Florida gets a suspicious call, text, or pop-up, have them scan it first — before anyone moves money.
Cryptocurrency Fraud in Florida
13,381 Florida complaints referenced cryptocurrency in 2025, with $914.5 million in associated losses — about 57% 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 Florida
SunPass toll texts
Fake SunPass “unpaid toll” texts are among the most-reported scams in Florida. SunPass does not send payment links by text — check your balance only through the official app or site.
Elder fraud at the largest scale outside California
Floridians 60 and over filed 17,147 complaints — second-most in the nation — and lost $709.8 million in 2025. Tech-support pop-ups, Medicare fraud, and romance scams lead the pack.
Hurricane claims and contractor fraud
After every storm: fake FEMA inspectors, “public adjusters” who take a cut of nothing, and roofers who vanish with deposits. Verify adjuster licenses through the Florida Department of Financial Services.
Timeshare resale fraud
A long-running Florida specialty — companies charging large upfront fees to “sell your timeshare” to buyers who don't exist. Upfront-fee resale offers are the red flag.
How to Report a Scam in Florida
- 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 Florida Attorney General's Office. State consumer-protection offices mediate complaints, issue local warnings, and bring enforcement actions against scammers operating in Florida.
- 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 Florida residents lose to scams in 2025?
Florida residents reported $1.60 billion in losses across 71,843 complaints filed with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2025 — the 3rd-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 Florida?
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 Florida Attorney General's Office. If money left your bank account, call your bank's fraud department immediately.
Are older Florida residents targeted more?
Florida residents aged 60 and over filed 17,147 complaints and reported $709.8 million in losses in 2025 — about 44% 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.