Scams Surge Across the U.S.: 82% of Adults Targeted as Engagement and Losses Continue to Rise

THE HAGUE, NL / The Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), in collaboration with Iris^® Powered by Generali, has released the State of Scams USA 2026 Report, highlighting the growing scale, sophistication, and impact of scams across the United States.

Based on a survey of 3,110 American adults, the report shows that 82% encountered a scam in the past year, underscoring how widespread and normalized scam attempts have become. Individuals are exposed to scams frequently, often as part of everyday digital interactions.

Despite this high exposure, 86% of Americans report feeling confident they can recognize a scam. However, this confidence is not translating into protection. 43% of those exposed interact with scammers, and 9% ultimately lose money or personal data, illustrating a persistent gap between perceived ability and real-world outcomes.

"The findings of this year’s State of Scams USA report make one thing clear: scams are no longer an occasional threat. They have become a daily reality for millions of Americans. As fraudsters continue to adapt their tactics and exploit new technologies, collaboration between industry, government, law enforcement, and consumer organizations has never been more important. Protecting consumers requires a coordinated response that is just as agile as the criminals we are fighting." — Jorij Abraham, Managing Director, GASA

Scam exposure is also affecting younger generations. 19% of parents report that their child has experienced a scam, highlighting risks beyond adult populations.

Some scam types prove more engaging than others. Shopping scams (20%), identity theft scams (18%), and unexpected money scams (18%) are among the most common interactions reported.

The impact extends well beyond financial loss. 59% of victims say scams affected their mental wellbeing, while 58% report being targeted more than once, highlighting the repeated and lasting nature of scam harm.

Reporting remains limited, constraining recovery and enforcement efforts. Only 4% of victims report scams to authorities, though reporting rises to 40% among those who lost money. Among those who report losses, 51% say they were reimbursed, indicating mixed outcomes depending on where and how scams are reported.

Paige Schaffer, CEO of Iris Powered by Generali, commented on the findings, “A key challenge that we have observed in the broader cybersecurity sector is user engagement. On average, we are finding that users do not employ all available protections, even when they have access to them. Whether this is because they don’t know about them, or are simply overwhelmed by the available options, a key problem we have been trying to solve is how to promote more engagement from customers when they are using these protection tools. Right now, one of our core focuses is integrating these services directly within services consumers use daily, boosting engagement while also expanding the use of cyber protections online.”

The findings highlight a growing gap between responsibility and effective protection, as scams continue to evolve faster than traditional prevention measures. GASA and Iris Identity Protection call for stronger collaboration between industry, policymakers, and law enforcement, alongside more proactive and scalable solutions to better protect consumers.

The report provides in-depth insights into scam exposure, victim behavior, payment methods, and prevention strategies.

The full report is available for download upon registration here: 

About GASA

The Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect consumers worldwide from scams. We realize our mission by bringing together policy makers, law enforcement, consumer authorities, NGOs, the financial sector, telecom operators, internet platforms and service providers, cybersecurity and commercial organizations to share insights and knowledge surrounding scams. We build networks in order to find and implement meaningful solutions.

More information: https://www.gasa.org

About Iris Powered by Generali

Iris^® Powered by Generali, a Washington D.C. based company, is a B2B2C global identity and cyber protection company owned by the 190-year-old multinational insurance company, Generali, that is passionate about not just developing effective identity protection solutions but also integrating them into people’s lives in a meaningful and impactful way. Today, we partner with some of the world’s most well-known brands, protecting their people how they want to be protected, no matter where they are.

To learn more about Iris’ offerings, please visit http://www.irisidentityprotection.com.