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The Most Common Scams Targeting Utahns in 2025

New data from the AARP Fraud Watch Network

AARP

Scam Alert Notification on Smartphone Screen During Incoming Call

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The AARP Fraud Watch Network released new statewide data showing how many Utahns reached out for help after encountering scams. According to the report, in 2025, 126 Utah residents contacted the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline to report fraud, with total reported losses reaching $2,585,030.

2025 Top 10 Reported Scams in Utah

Impostor Business
Identity Theft
Online Dating/Romance
Tech Support/Computer Virus
Fraudulent Sales
Investment Fraud
Sweepstakes/Prizes/Lottery
Impostor Government
Phishing
Unauthorized Money Withdrawal

A breakdown of the top scams affecting Americans

Impostor Business Scams: Criminals love impersonating big businesses, and the bigger, the better. One of the largest targets of impostor scams in 2023 was Amazon. According to the Federal Trade Commission, 44,000 reports of scammers impersonating Amazon were filed in 2023, resulting in $19 million in losses.

Identity Theft: Identity fraud involves the theft of your personal information, such as your Social Security number, home address, birth date, and account numbers (bank, medical insurance, and credit card numbers) to commit fraud. From January through September of 2025, identity fraud cost Americans $10.9 billion.

Online Dating/Romance Scams: New AARP research shows that romance scams — schemes in which criminals build trust only to exploit it to steal money and sensitive information — are affecting older adults at significant rates. Adults ages 50 to 64 face this risk at more than twice the rate of those 65 and older — likely in part because they tend to be more active and engaged online, increasing their exposure to potential scammers.

Tech Support/Computer Virus Scams: Criminals posing as online helpers and offering to rescue people from computer viruses — usually to gain access to their targets’ computers and other devices — isn’t a new phenomenon. But it hits older adults particularly hard.

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Fraudulent Sales Scams: AARP warns that fraudulent sales scams targeting seniors often involve high-pressure tactics, AI voice cloning, and fake online stores. Common scams include phishing emails, "we buy homes" cash offers, and bogus investment opportunities.

Investment Fraud Scams: Losses to investment scams, fueled largely by financial grooming, rose from $3.31 billion in 2022 to $4.57 billion in 2023, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Sweepstakes/Prizes/Lottery Scams: Criminals reach out by phone calls, emails, text messages, social media or even official-looking letters to claim you’re a guaranteed winner but need to pay a little something before getting your prize.

Impostor Government Scams: Scammers pretend to work for government agencies, using photos and bios of genuine officials to appear legitimate. The impostors direct victims to websites and messaging platforms to steal their log-in and password information (among other schemes).

Phishing Scams: Phishing is a tactic that scammers use to acquire valuable personal and financial data, such as your Social Security number, credit card details or passwords for online accounts, and to steal your identity, your money or both.

Unauthorized Money Withdrawal Scams: Unauthorized money withdrawal scams, particularly those targeting seniors, often involve sophisticated manipulation where victims are coerced into withdrawing their own cash or transferring funds directly.