Few Americans report scams despite daily inundation, surveys show

Americans are facing a relentless barrage of scam attempts, with a significant portion experiencing financial or personal data loss, according to recent surveys. An AP-NORC poll revealed that about 3 in 10 U.S. adults have personally fallen victim to scams, losing money or sensitive information.

This daily struggle involves constantly screening calls, messages, and online requests to discern legitimacy. A separate survey by Gallup and the Stop Scams Alliance, exclusively shared with the AP, indicated that approximately 1 in 10 U.S. adults reported being deceived into losing money or granting access to financial accounts last year. For nearly half of these victims, the losses surpassed $500.

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You've got to be pretty sophisticated these days.

Despite the prevalence and impact of these scams, a striking number of victims choose not to report them to federal or local authorities. The Gallup survey highlighted that many victims believe reporting will not lead to the recovery of their lost funds. This sentiment contributes to a widespread feeling of vulnerability and a lack of recourse among Americans.

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If federal regulation wanted to step in and make deals with these companies to get these people their money back, they could.

Adam Pratter, 42, shared his experience with scams on dating apps, where he once sent money to someone claiming to be deployed overseas. He realized it was a scam when the requests for funds continued. Pratter believes that financial institutions and social media companies should play a larger role in assisting scam victims, and that government intervention could facilitate money recovery.

Both surveys underscore the pervasiveness of scam attempts. The AP-NORC poll found that 58% of U.S. adults receive daily suspicious text messages, calls, emails, or online messages. The Gallup survey reported that about 4 in 10 Americans experienced attempted scams daily last year. Older adults, particularly those aged 60 and above, are more likely to report daily scam contact compared to younger demographics.

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They mention different types of programs that I know are nonexistent. Some of them hack your account and pretend as if they're someone that you know. But then I get to asking questions and realize they're scams.