State of Scams in the USA: What It Means for Brands

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes

Here's a number that should stop you in your tracks: 82% of American adults encountered a scam in the past year. That's up from 77% just a year ago. Scams aren't a rare event anymore. For most people, they're part of everyday life.

For the second year in a row, Iris^® Powered by Generali is proud to partner with the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) on the 2026 State of Scams in the USA report. The findings are eye-opening. But for brands that serve consumers every day, there's also plenty of opportunity.

Let's look at what the data says, why the gap between confidence and protection keeps growing, and how your organization can help close it.

Key Takeaways

• Scam exposure is now the norm — 82% of adults faced at least one this year.
  
  
• Confidence isn't protection — most people who feel ready still get caught.
  
  
• The cost is more than money — wellbeing, trust, and repeat harm all add up.
  
  
• Trusted brands are best placed to help — by embedding protection where people already are.
  
  
• Accessibility is the goal — protection works best when it reaches everyone, and Iris is here to help your brand achieve this goal. 

What are the Key Findings of the 2026 State of Scams in the USA Report?

Here are a few stats that jumped out at us:

• 82% encountered a scam in the past year (up from 77% in 2025)

• 86% feel confident they can spot a scam

• More than half of those who encountered one still engaged with it

• 1 in 5 who engaged lost money — an average of $1,541 per person

• $37.3 billion was lost to scams in the U.S. in a single year

• 59% of victims said the scam impacted their mental wellbeing

• 66% of victims had to be told they were scammed — way up from 45% last year

Read those last two points again. Scams aren't just draining bank accounts. They're shaking people's confidence and slipping past them entirely.

Why Do Confident People Still Fall for Scams?

This is the heart of the report. People feel ready. But feeling ready and being protected are two very different things.

So why is the gap so wide? A few reasons stand out:

• Scams look very real now. Many victims said the message felt genuine and the situation seemed convincing. AI is also making fakes harder to catch.

• The signs are getting subtle. Old tricks like spotting bad grammar don't work as well anymore.

• People don't always know. With 66% of victims needing someone else to tell them, many never see it coming.

And scams don't stop after one hit. 58% of victims said it happened more than once.

There's data in the report that speaks to families, too. 19% of parents said at least one of their children had been scammed. This isn't just an adult problem. It’s an everyone problem.

How Can Brands Help Close the Scam Protection Gap?

Here's the good news. That gap between confidence and protection? It's exactly where brands like yours can step in.

Think about it. Consumers already trust the companies they deal with every day — their bank, their insurer, their phone and internet provider. These are the brands woven into daily life, and that established trust is a powerful starting point.

And people want that help and are seeking the institutions they trust for it. In fact, two in three American adults support letting banks and telecom providers block suspicious transactions or calls to keep them safe.

Banks, insurers, telecoms, and other everyday services are in a unique spot. They can:

• Build protection into the tools people already use — no extra app, no extra login

• Offer real support when something goes wrong, not just a warning after the fact

• Deepen trust and loyalty by showing up when customers need it most

When protection is easy to reach, more people use it. And when more people use it, fewer fall into the gap.

Why Is Accessibility the Missing Piece in Scam Protection?

In our foreword to this year's report, we shared a belief that guides everything we do at Iris: protection shouldn't be a privilege.

Our own research tells a clear story. People are aware of digital threats. They trust the brands they rely on. But the number of consumers with no identity or scam protection at all is trending in the wrong direction. Awareness is growing. Access is not keeping up.

This is where Iris comes in. We make it possible for organizations of every size and type to build and offer identity and scam protection exactly the way they want — tailored to their audience, built into their platforms, and easy for every consumer to use.

Because closing the protection gap starts with making protection easier for consumers to get, and Iris makes it easier for brands to give it.

Get the 2026 State of Scams in the USA Report Today

The full report covers scam exposure, victim behavior, payment trends, and prevention strategies in detail. It's a must-read for anyone shaping product or customer strategy.

Ready to explore the findings?

Read the full press release for a quick look at the top numbers.

Download the 2026 State of Scams in the USA Report for the complete picture.

Scammers are watching your customers. The brands that act now will be the ones their customers thank later.

Join the Upcoming GASA + Iris Scam Report Webinar

But wait, there's more. GASA and Iris are teaming up for a webinar to dig into this year's results and what they mean for your customer engagement and product strategy.

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