Americans reported losing $470M to text scams
In 2024, Americans reported losing $470 million to scams that started with text messages, according to new data from the Federal Trade Commission.
Scripps News
A Florida couple offers a cautionary tale in the battle against online scammers: Don’t trust that text message.
An older couple lost more than $80,000 after they received a text about an “unauthorized $599 charge” on their PayPal account on June 22, according to police in the eastern Florida city of Ormond Beach.
The couple called a phone number listed in the message to address the problem and received a form from scammers posing as Norton Security representatives to catalog how much money they lost.
When they saw $50,000 deposited back into their account, the couple thought they mistakenly added a few zeros on the form and wired the extra money they thought they received – some $49,000 – to an account in Utah.
But the scammers claimed the money was never sent because of a problem with the IRS and requested the money in cash. The Florida couple handed over $33,000 in cash to a courier who visited their home, police said.
In total, they lost close to $83,000, according to police, who said they are working to find the scammers and retrieve the money.
In a statement, PayPal encouraged users to remain mindful when they are being asked to participate in a transaction related to its website. They recommended users contact customer support through the PayPal website or app, not from search engines or other sources.
PayPal scams proliferate
PayPal has become a popular target for scammers looking to earn a quick buck.
In early June, police in Tennessee arrested two men accused of conducting a sophisticated multi-state PayPal scam similar to the one the couple in Florida fell victim to.
Police believe the men – identified as Hongqi Cui and Li Muxi – remotely accessed a victim’s bank accounts by impersonating a PayPal representative and then requested they hand over large amounts of cash to a courier, according to reporting by the ABC affiliate. The case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.
Nationwide, phishing attempts overall are on the rise. A report published in April by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center found phishing was among the top three types of cyber crimes reported in 2024.
The agency saw $16.6 billion stolen last year, up 33% from 2023, the report said. People over the age of 60 suffered the most losses, totaling nearly $5 billion.
And text scams are a major contributor. According to data from the Federal Communications Commission, Americans lost close to $500 million in 2024 through interactions over texts.
How to protect yourself against scams
If you receive a suspicious text message from a payment website, bank or store, the Federal Trade Commission suggests the following:
- Do not respond to the message and do not click any links or attachments.
- If you are unsure whether the message is real, contact the company using the customer service phone number on their website.
- Report the message as junk or spam.
- Forward the message to SPAM (7726)
- Report the text to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov and/or file a compliant with the FBI’s Internet Crime Compliant Center at ic3.gov.
