Louisiana Scam Report: What's Targeting LA and How to Fight Back
Louisiana residents filed 8,623 scam and cybercrime complaints with the FBI in 2025 and reported $105.4 million in losses — the 33rd-highest total among the 50 states and DC. Here's what those numbers look like up close, which scams are actually hitting Louisiana, 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 Louisiana 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.
Louisiana ranks 31st in raw complaint volume and 33rd in total losses. Adjusted for population, it ranks 47th in complaints and 51st in losses per 100,000 residents. That per-capita rank is notably better than the raw totals suggest — Louisiana's big numbers are mostly a function of its big population.
Scams Targeting Louisiana Seniors
Louisiana residents aged 60 and over filed 1,906 complaints and reported $35.9 million in losses in 2025 — roughly 34% 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 Louisiana gets a suspicious call, text, or pop-up, have them scan it first — before anyone moves money.
Cryptocurrency Fraud in Louisiana
1,366 Louisiana complaints referenced cryptocurrency in 2025, with $53.7 million in associated losses — about 51% 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.
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 FreeScam Patterns Hitting Louisiana
Hurricane insurance and contractor fraud
Louisiana's storm cycle brings fake adjusters, contractors demanding cash deposits, and “FEMA fees” that don't exist — FEMA never charges for applications or inspections.
GeauxPass toll smishing
With tolling on the Belle Chasse bridge, fake GeauxPass “unpaid toll” texts now have a local hook. The real system doesn't collect through text links.
Government impersonation and benefits fraud
Fake SNAP recertification calls and Social Security “suspension” threats target Louisiana households. Real agencies don't threaten same-day arrest or demand gift cards.
How to Report a Scam in Louisiana
- 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 Louisiana Department of Justice, Consumer Protection Section. State consumer-protection offices mediate complaints, issue local warnings, and bring enforcement actions against scammers operating in Louisiana.
- 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 Louisiana residents lose to scams in 2025?
Louisiana residents reported $105.4 million in losses across 8,623 complaints filed with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2025 — the 33rd-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 Louisiana?
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 Louisiana Department of Justice, Consumer Protection Section. If money left your bank account, call your bank's fraud department immediately.
Are older Louisiana residents targeted more?
Louisiana residents aged 60 and over filed 1,906 complaints and reported $35.9 million in losses in 2025 — about 34% 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.