A new study warns Nebraska residents to be on high alert for investment fraud in 2025. Nebraska residents lost a record $8.4 million to investment fraud in 2023, down 33.9% from $12.8 million in 2022, and was one of only nine states to see an annual decline.
Nationally, investment fraud is now the No. 1 costliest type of fraud in America, according to the FBI. A record 39,570 victims lost a record $4.57 billion in 2023, a staggering rise from 2018 when 3,693 victims lost $253 million.
Investment fraud law firm Carlson Law today released a study on States with the Most & Least Investment Scams after analyzing FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center data through 2023.
The increase is directly tied to crypto and AI deepfake videos. Last year, 86.7% of all money lost to investment scams involved crypto, totaling $3.96 billion, with victims often lured in by AI-manipulated videos of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffet touting fake investment opportunities.
Tech-savvy millennials, ages 31 to 45, filed more investment scam FBI complaints than any generation due to their interest in trading crypto and it also speaks to the growing sophistication of scammers.
Despite lower financial losses, Nebraska residents must remain vigilant as the threat from investment scams is rising.