A consumer financial services firm says that the majority of Americans have fallen prey to financial scams or fraud.
In a new survey consisting of 1,007 US adults, Bankrate finds that 73% of Americans have experienced a financial scam or fraud at some point in their lives, up from 68% in the firm’s findings 12 months ago.
Bankrate also says that 40% have been entangled in a type of fraud or scam over the last year, up from 34% in 2025.
Bankrate analyst Sarah Foster says AI allows thieves to scale attacks, making everyone a potential target nowadays.
“Fraudsters are getting more sophisticated thanks to artificial intelligence, and they’re reaching more people than ever. It might be wishful thinking at this point to assume you’ll never come across someone attempting to steal your information or your money.”
In the last 12 months as well, 35% of US adults say someone attempted to or accessed their personal or financial information, with 11% saying they lost money to a financial scam or fraud.
Meanwhile, 33% report that they did not experience any financial scam or fraud over the past year.
Looking ahead, 52% of Americans say they believe that they will be targeted by a financial scam in the future, while 95% report that they are taking measures to protect themselves against thieves.
“A majority of adults say they now avoid suspicious links or emails (79%), regularly check their financial accounts (67%), enable two-factor authentication for personal accounts (61%), and have shredded sensitive documents before disposal (55%).”
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