Reference data
What business payment fraud actually costs, by year
Reported losses from business email compromise and wire fraud, transcribed from the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, cross-checked against the FTC and the AFP payments fraud survey. Every figure links to the page it came from, and every source is re-checked weekly. Cite it, quote it, embed it.
Figures verified August 22, 2026 · Sources checked October 12, 2026 · Latest full year 2025
$3.05 billion
$3,046,598,558 across 24,768 complaints, an average of $123,006 per complaint.
FBI IC3 Annual Report 2025Second by losses
Only investment fraud, at $8.65 billion, cost more in 2025.
FBI IC3 Annual Report 2025$20.88 billion
1,008,597 complaints, the first year past one million, with an average loss of $20,699.
FBI IC3 Annual Report 2025$679 million
The IC3 Recovery Asset Team ran the Financial Fraud Kill Chain on 3,900 incidents worth $1.16 billion in attempted theft and froze funds in 58 percent of them.
FBI IC3 Annual Report 2025Up 10 percent
From $2,770,151,146 to $3,046,598,558, with 3,326 more complaints filed.
FBI IC3 Annual Reports 2024 and 2025Reported BEC losses by year
These are reported losses. The FBI counts only what victims file, so read each number as a floor rather than a total. Complaint counts rose faster than losses in 2025, which usually means more small businesses filing rather than fewer large frauds.
21,489 complaints filed, an average of $137,132 each
21,442 complaints filed, an average of $129,193 each
24,768 complaints filed, an average of $123,005 each
What other primary sources show
Each source measures a different population, so these figures corroborate the FBI data rather than add to it. The population is stated on every card.
76%
Down from 79 percent for 2024 and 80 percent for 2023. Fraud is the norm, not the exception.
2025 · 465 US corporate treasury and finance professionals
2026 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey74%
A significant increase over 2023 and 2024, per the survey.
2025 · 465 US corporate treasury and finance professionals
2026 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey58%
Checks remain the most targeted payment method, ahead of ACH and wire. Only 17 percent use AI against payments fraud.
2025 · 465 US corporate treasury and finance professionals
2026 AFP Payments Fraud and Control SurveyAbout $16 billion
The highest on record and about 25 percent above 2024.
2025 · Fraud reports filed by US consumers
Consumer Sentinel Network data, 2025Nearly $1 billion
Bank impersonators led the category. Imposter scams overall cost $3.5 billion, nearly one in three fraud reports.
2025 · Fraud reports filed by US consumers
Consumer Sentinel Network data, 2025Source watch
Every week we check each publisher for an edition newer than the one cited here. New figures are transcribed by hand before they appear, never scraped.
- Confirmed current
FBI IC3
Citing Internet Crime Report 2025 · Annual · Next expected Spring 2027
- Confirmed current
Association for Financial Professionals
Citing 2026 Payments Fraud and Control Survey · Annual · Next expected April 2027
- Confirmed current
Federal Trade Commission
Citing Consumer Sentinel 2025 data · Annual, with monthly spotlights · Next expected Early 2027
- Confirmed current
FinCEN
Citing Advisories and alerts · As issued · Next expected Any week
This week in payment fraud
Advisories and enforcement actions from the last two weeks, refreshed with each check.
- Social Engineering AI Agents: The New BEC for 2026
Dark Reading · October 9, 2026
Changelog
- October 12, 2026Weekly check: 4 of 4 sources confirmed current.
- October 5, 2026Weekly check: 4 of 4 sources confirmed current.
- September 29, 2026Weekly check: 4 of 4 sources confirmed current.
- September 29, 2026Weekly check: 4 of 4 sources confirmed current.
- September 29, 2026Weekly check: 4 of 4 sources confirmed current.
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Coffr, "The BEC and Wire Fraud Loss Index," compiled from FBI IC3 annual reports. https://getcoffr.com/fraud-loss-index
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