Washington Scam Report: What's Targeting WA and How to Fight Back
Washington residents filed 25,619 scam and cybercrime complaints with the FBI in 2025 and reported $458.2 million in losses — the 11th-highest total among the 50 states and DC. Here's what those numbers look like up close, which scams are actually hitting Washington, 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 Washington 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.
Washington ranks 11th in raw complaint volume and 11th in total losses. Adjusted for population, it ranks 6th in complaints and 16th in losses per 100,000 residents.
Scams Targeting Washington Seniors
Washington residents aged 60 and over filed 5,392 complaints and reported $179.7 million in losses in 2025 — roughly 39% 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 Washington gets a suspicious call, text, or pop-up, have them scan it first — before anyone moves money.
Cryptocurrency Fraud in Washington
4,589 Washington complaints referenced cryptocurrency in 2025, with $263.1 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 Washington
Good To Go! toll smishing
Fake “Good To Go unpaid toll” texts impersonate WSDOT's real tolling system for the 520 bridge and express lanes. WSDOT has repeatedly warned it never texts payment links.
Fake tech recruiting
Scammers impersonate recruiters from Seattle-area tech employers with fake interviews, fake offer letters, and “home office equipment” reimbursement checks that bounce after you've wired money to a “vendor.”
Crypto investment fraud
Washingtonians reported $263.1 million in crypto-linked losses in 2025 — 10th nationally — with pig-butchering schemes that start on LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or dating apps. JBLM's military community adds a steady stream of impersonation targets.
How to Report a Scam in Washington
- 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 Washington State Attorney General's Office. State consumer-protection offices mediate complaints, issue local warnings, and bring enforcement actions against scammers operating in Washington.
- 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 Washington residents lose to scams in 2025?
Washington residents reported $458.2 million in losses across 25,619 complaints filed with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2025 — the 11th-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 Washington?
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 Washington State Attorney General's Office. If money left your bank account, call your bank's fraud department immediately.
Are older Washington residents targeted more?
Washington residents aged 60 and over filed 5,392 complaints and reported $179.7 million in losses in 2025 — about 39% of the state's reported losses. Nationally, people 60+ lost $7.748 billion, more than any other age group.
Other States in the West
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.