AI related fraud cases are increasingly challenging US cybersecurity
AI related fraud cases are increasingly challenging US cybersecurity
Publish Date: 2026-05-12 17:01:00
Source Domain: www.digitaljournal.com
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Total fraud losses among people over the age of 60 have increased by 400% since 2020 – and one particular scam is swindling seniors across the U.S. out of thousands of dollars.
This is “impersonation scams”, a form of fraud that has jumped by 148% year-on-year.
This is occurring as criminals leverage AI to devise increasingly convincing schemes. Fraudsters are most often impersonating the Social Security Administration, Health and Human Services and the IRS.
This leads to the question – which states are the most likely to be tricked by these sneaky imposters? And which age groups are taking the biggest hits?
In seeking to answer this, forex broker experts BrokerChooser have assessed official fraud reports from 2025 and 2024 to uncover the states and age groups most at risk of being tricked by imposters.
U.S. imposter scam hotspots exposed: Where Americans are most likely to be tricked
RankStateChange in government imposter reports (per million vs. 2024)Change in business imposter reports (per million vs. 2024)% change in total imposter scam losses (vs 2024)Total imposter scam losses (2025)Average loss ($)Change in total imposter reports (per million vs. 2024)Total imposter reports per million (2025)1Delaware+260.5-17.9+37.33%$3,357,694$2,569+2351,2992Oregon+167.5-33.0+54.05%$13,501,754$2,602+1271,2243Colorado+127.2-97.8+13.53%$15,299,415$2,271+191,1604Florida+218.5-20.4+26.95%$65,579,488$2,586+1911,1575Nevada-4.6-72.5+43.22%$9,280,053$2,639-931,1206Washington-46.5-83.2-11.96%$18,617,543$2,204-1311,0917Maryland+104.9-38.3-21.58%$14,655,942$2,208+571,0768Illinois+299.7-27.3+15.99%$28,283,409$2,172+2751,0269Arizona+1.8-36.2+8.15%$26,334,452$3,587-451,01010Utah+172.9+14.7-22.26%$5,120,843$1,525+1801,008
Note: Total imposter scam reports include cases involving government imposters, business imposters and family or friend imposters.
From the above table, Delaware takes the unwanted crown as the state most likely to fall for imposter scams, racking up a jaw-dropping 1,299 reports per one million people in the last six months of 2025 – up from 1,064 per million in the same period in 2024. Government imposters are the main culprits with 686 cases per million – more than half of all reports – followed by business imposters at 577 per million.
Delawareans collectively lost a significant $3,357,694 to imposter scams in just six months, a 37.33% jump from 2024, leaving the average victim out of pocket by $2,569.
The second most targeted state is Oregon, with 1,224 imposter reports per million – a sharp climb from 1,097 per million in H2 2024. Notably, Oregonians are feeling a bigger pinch as total losses skyrocketed 54%, from $8,764,507 to $13,501,754, the fifth-largest increase across all states analyzed. The average victim here lost a whopping $2,602 to imposter scams.
Colorado ranks third most targeted, with 1,160 imposter scam reports per million.
Business imposters made up the majority of cases (582 reports in H2 2025) and delivered the biggest financial blow, draining Coloradans of $9,911,413 in just six months – far eclipsing the $5,275,040 lost to government imposters. Average imposter scam loss per victim in the state is $2,271.
Florida lands in fourth, with 1,157 reports per million, up from 965 in 2024. Government imposters drove the biggest jump, climbing from 357 to 575 cases per million, while total losses hit a jaw-dropping $65,579,488, leaving the average victim $2,586 lighter in the wallet.
Rounding out the top five is Nevada, with 1,120 imposter scam cases per million in the last two quarters of 2025. While business impersonation scams dominate in volume (642 reports per million), Nevadans are losing the most money to government imposters, with losses soaring 197% from $1,700,186 in H2 2024 to $5,050,158 in H2 2025. The average imposter scam victim in Nevada lost $2,639.
