Michigan Scam Report: What's Targeting MI and How to Fight Back
Michigan residents filed 22,191 scam and cybercrime complaints with the FBI in 2025 and reported $381.1 million in losses — the 16th-highest total among the 50 states and DC. Here's what those numbers look like up close, which scams are actually hitting Michigan, 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 Michigan 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.
Michigan ranks 14th in raw complaint volume and 16th in total losses. Adjusted for population, it ranks 41st in complaints and 38th in losses per 100,000 residents. That per-capita rank is notably better than the raw totals suggest — Michigan's big numbers are mostly a function of its big population.
Scams Targeting Michigan Seniors
Michigan residents aged 60 and over filed 5,731 complaints and reported $169.9 million in losses in 2025 — roughly 45% 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 Michigan gets a suspicious call, text, or pop-up, have them scan it first — before anyone moves money.
Cryptocurrency Fraud in Michigan
3,648 Michigan complaints referenced cryptocurrency in 2025, with $210.2 million in associated losses — about 55% 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 Michigan
Toll texts in a toll-free state
Michigan has no toll highways — so the fake “Michigan toll services” texts residents receive are impersonating an agency that doesn't exist. Automatic delete.
Used-vehicle and marketplace fraud
Auto-country pricing knowledge cuts both ways: fake vehicle listings with bogus escrow services and VIN-cloned cars target Michigan buyers and sellers alike.
Senior-targeted tech support and Medicare fraud
Michiganders 60+ reported $169.9 million in 2025 losses — 45% of the state total. Fake fraud-department calls “from your bank” are the most common opener.
How to Report a Scam in Michigan
- 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 Michigan Attorney General's Office. State consumer-protection offices mediate complaints, issue local warnings, and bring enforcement actions against scammers operating in Michigan.
- 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 Michigan residents lose to scams in 2025?
Michigan residents reported $381.1 million in losses across 22,191 complaints filed with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2025 — the 16th-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 Michigan?
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 Michigan Attorney General's Office. If money left your bank account, call your bank's fraud department immediately.
Are older Michigan residents targeted more?
Michigan residents aged 60 and over filed 5,731 complaints and reported $169.9 million in losses in 2025 — about 45% of the state's reported losses. Nationally, people 60+ lost $7.748 billion, more than any other age group.
Other States in the Midwest
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.