FTC Sounds Alarm as Imposter Scams Steal $3.5 Billion

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning consumers to beware of text messages that demand money for unpaid tolls as well as new online friends or love interests who suddenly ask for money. These are two common imposter scams, a type of scam that has been the subject of the most fraud reports sent to the FTC for nine years in a row, the agency said in a Thursday (May 7) consumer alert . In 2025, consumers sent the FTC more than 1 million reports about imposter scams and reported that they lo