Online fraud is placing a growing financial burden on Maryland residents, with reported cybercrime losses rising sharply in 2025. FBI data shows that the state recorded more than 19,000 cybercrime complaints, involving losses exceeding $390 million.
The figures represent a 30% rise in complaints compared with 2024. Reports increased by more than 5,000, while financial losses grew by over $150 million, a jump of just over 62%. Reported scams have increased by more than 226% since 2015.
In 1 recent example, 2 Baltimore-area residents reported combined losses of $5,095 on November 4. One was targeted through a fake job offer, while the other encountered a fraudulent sneaker advertisement on Facebook.
Investment and employment scams cause major losses
Phishing and spoofing were Maryland’s most commonly reported cybercrimes, accounting for more than 5,500 complaints and losses of just over $6 million in 2025. However, investment scams caused significantly higher damage. Around 1,400 such complaints resulted in losses exceeding $184 million.
Nationally, investment scams caused more than $8.5 billion in losses in 2025. Melissa Lanning, executive director of the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, said: “The top two riskiest scams are investment crypto scams and employment scams,” adding that the financial impact was significant despite fewer reports.
Maryland ranked 8th nationally for complaints and 9th for losses per 100,000 people. It recorded an average of 310 complaints and more than $6 million in losses per 100,000 residents. The FBI’s Baltimore Field Office said: “Marylanders have more to lose and as a wealthy state are likely more heavily targeted by scammers.”
AI adds another layer to online fraud
The FBI linked more than 22,000 cybercrime complaints nationwide to AI in 2025, with related fraud losses exceeding $893 million. In Maryland, 485 AI-related complaints involved losses of $21 million.
Criminals are using AI to create convincing phishing emails, support romance scams and produce voice deepfakes. Investment, extortion and personal-data breach scams were the leading AI-linked categories, followed by phishing.
Lanning said: “AI has changed the game for scammers,” noting that professional-looking emails can now be created without grammatical errors.
She also highlighted the stigma surrounding fraud reporting, saying: “We’re trying really hard to do work to reduce that stigma, so that people are not embarrassed, that they’re willing to report it, they’re willing to talk to people about it, and get the help that they need,”
The FBI cautioned that IC3 figures reflect only reported cases, while many fraud incidents remain unreported.
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