Three in Four Europeans Hit by Scams: Even Those Who Recognize Them Lose $2,735 on Average

THE HAGUE, NL  / The Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) has released its State of Scams in Europe Report, offering a comprehensive look at the scale, impact, and evolving nature of scams across the region. The research highlights persistently high exposure levels, significant financial losses, and ongoing challenges in prevention and reporting.

In the past 12 months, three in four European adults encountered a scam, with email, phone calls, and text messages remaining the primary entry points. While exposure remains widespread across all markets, concern is rising most rapidly in countries including Switzerland, France, Germany, and Denmark, while easing in others such as Romania, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Scam risks are also affecting younger generations, with 16% of parents reporting that their children have experienced a scam.

Despite growing awareness, confidence in recognizing scams is not translating into protection. Seven in ten Europeans say they feel confident identifying scams, yet 44% of those exposed engage with them, and 22% of these interactions result in financial loss. This gap highlights the limits of awareness alone in preventing harm.

"We are facing a clear and growing challenge across Europe. Scams and fraud are incredibly frequent, causing huge financial and emotional damage as well as destroying trust in society and the online economy.

Many people feel confident they can recognize scams, yet too many still engage and lose money. Awareness is an important step, but it is not enough. We need to strengthen prevention, improve detection by both industry and law enforcement, and work much more closely together across Europe to stop scammers at scale." - Andrei Skorobogatov Policy Director, Global Anti-Scam Alliance.

For victims, the consequences are significant and often repeated. The average financial loss per victim is $2,735, with the highest losses reported in Switzerland, Denmark, and Belgium. Payment methods involved include bank transfers and cards, alongside increasing use of instant payments and crypto. Scams are rarely isolated events: 42% of victims are targeted more than once, with an average of 2.7 incidents per person. The impact extends well beyond finances, with nearly two-thirds reporting effects on their well-being and close to half experiencing financial strain.

Underreporting remains a major barrier to addressing scams effectively. Only one in four victims who lost money report the incident to authorities. Those who do report are more likely to contact banks (31%) or inform family and friends (19%), but confidence in outcomes remains low. Recovery rates are limited, with just 6% recovering funds when reporting to police and 16% when reporting to banks. Notably, reporting scams on social media platforms most often resulted in no action being taken (24%).

Prevention efforts continue to rely heavily on individual behavior rather than systemic intervention. Many consumers avoid scams by ignoring unsolicited messages, but half of victims only realize they have been scammed after external intervention or after losing money. While 27% say bank-led information is helpful, reliance on basic heuristics suggests prevention measures are not keeping pace with increasingly sophisticated scam tactics.

At the same time, there is growing support for stronger protective measures. Many Europeans indicate a willingness to accept more proactive safeguards, including allowing banks to block suspicious high-value transactions without prior customer consent, signaling a shift toward prioritizing security over convenience.

About GASA

The Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect consumers worldwide from scams. GASA brings 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. By building strong networks, GASA works to develop and implement meaningful solutions to combat scams globally.