Scams in South Carolina: 2025–2026 Fraud Statistics & Report
According to the FBI’s latest IC3 filing, South Carolina residents lost $264,083,026 to internet scams in 2025 — a 80.3% jump from the prior year. That puts South Carolina at #20 nationally for total losses and #23 when you adjust for population.
Published July 2026 · Data from FBI IC3 & FTC Consumer Sentinel · By Social Catfish Research
1. South Carolina at a Glance
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Scam Losses (2025) | $264,083,026 |
| Total Scam Losses (2024) | $146,468,765 |
| Year-Over-Year Change | +80.3% |
| National Rank (Total Losses) | #20 of 51 |
| National Rank (Per Capita) | #23 of 51 |
| Per Capita Losses (2025) | $47 per 100K residents |
| Population (2024 est.) | 5.6M |
| Share of U.S. Total | 1.4% |
2. Year-Over-Year Trends
In 2024, South Carolina residents reported $146,468,765 in losses to the FBI’s IC3. A year later that number moved to $264,083,026 — a 80.3% climb that tracks above the national trend.
🚨 South Carolina losses growing faster than the national average
For context, the national tab came to $18.87B last year, up 25.8% from 2024.South Carolina’s slice: 1.4% of every dollar reported stolen.
Adjusting for population, South Carolina sits at #23. That works out to $47 lost for every 100,000 residents in 2025 — up from $27 the year before.
3. How South Carolina Compares
To put South Carolina’s position in context, here are the states closest to it in the FBI’s loss rankings:
| Rank | State | 2025 Losses | 2024 Losses | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Nevada | $302,235,247 | $268,769,310 | +12.5% |
| 19 | Tennessee | $269,214,519 | $190,271,310 | +41.5% |
| 20 | South Carolina ← | $264,083,026 | $146,468,765 | +80.3% |
| 21 | Minnesota | $248,892,986 | $203,352,530 | +22.4% |
| 22 | Missouri | $233,933,401 | $183,751,987 | +27.3% |
View all 50 states + DC ranked →
4. South Carolina Metro Areas in the FTC Top 50
The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel data breaks fraud reports down by metro area. 2 South Carolina metro areas landed in the national top 50 for per-capita fraud complaints:
| National Rank | Metro Area |
|---|---|
| #22 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC |
| #33 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC |
5. Most Dangerous Scams Affecting South Carolina
The FBI doesn’t publish scam-type breakdowns at the state level, but the national data offers a strong proxy for what South Carolina residents are up against. Here are the ten costliest categories in 2025:
#1Investment Fraud (incl. Pig Butchering)
Fraudulent crypto and forex platforms — often preceded by weeks of friendly texting or dating-app conversation — where victims watch fabricated returns pile up before the scammer vanishes with their money.
#2Business Email Compromise (BEC)
A spoofed email from the CEO or a trusted vendor lands in an employee's inbox requesting an urgent wire transfer. By the time anyone notices, the money's in an overseas account.
#3Tech / Customer Support Scams
A pop-up freezes your screen. A fake Microsoft or Apple rep calls. Older adults sometimes get talked into converting savings to gold bars and handing them to a courier who shows up at the front door.
#4Personal Data Breach
When hackers or insiders expose sensitive records — Social Security numbers, medical data, financial accounts — the downstream identity theft can linger for years.
#5Confidence / Romance Scams
Weeks of emotional bonding with someone who isn't real, followed by an invented emergency that requires cash. AI-generated photos and deepfake video calls make these harder to spot than ever.
#6Government Impersonation
'This is the IRS. There's a warrant for your arrest.' Robocalls and spoofed caller IDs make the threat feel genuine — and victims pay before thinking twice.
#7Non-Payment / Non-Delivery
#8Data Breach (Corporate)
#9Employment / Job Scams
Fake remote-work listings, bogus recruiters, and 'task scams' that pay small amounts for simple online tasks before asking victims to invest larger sums into platforms that don't exist.
#10Credit Card / Check Fraud
Stolen card numbers, counterfeit checks, and card-not-present fraud that drains accounts before alerts even fire.
See all 25 scam types with full 3-year data →
6. How South Carolina Residents Can Protect Themselves
$264.1M didn’t disappear into thin air — it was taken from real South Carolina families. A few habits can cut your risk dramatically:
Verify Before You Trust
Run a reverse image search on profile photos. Tools like Social Catfish let you check a photo, phone number, or email against public records in seconds — before you send a dime.
Never Send Money to Strangers
No real company or government agency will ever demand payment in gift cards, crypto, or wire transfers. Full stop. If someone asks for those, it's a scam.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication
It takes 30 seconds to turn on 2FA for your email, bank, and social accounts. That one step blocks most account-takeover attempts cold.
Verify Independently
Got a call claiming to be your bank or the IRS? Hang up. Find the official number yourself and call back. Scammers spoof caller ID — the number on your screen means nothing.
Slow Down High-Pressure Situations
The urgency is the tell. 'Act now or lose everything' is a psychological lever, not a fact. Any legitimate request can survive a 24-hour pause.
Talk to Vulnerable Family Members
Seniors lost $7.75 billion last year — more than any other age group. If you have older family members in South Carolina, a candid conversation about scam tactics could save them thousands.
7. How to Report a Scam in South Carolina
Been scammed — or suspect someone you know in South Carolina has? Filing a report matters, even if you think it’s too late. Every complaint helps law enforcement spot patterns and, in some cases, claw money back:
- FBI IC3: ic3.gov — File a complaint for any internet-enabled crime
- FTC: reportfraud.ftc.gov — Report fraud, scams, and bad business practices
- South Carolina Attorney General: Contact your state AG’s consumer protection division
- Local Police: File a police report, especially for in-person or local scams
- ScamComplaints.org: File a report here to warn others and build your case
Think You’re Being Scammed?
Verify anyone’s identity instantly. Social Catfish has helped millions of people uncover scammers before losing money.
Run a Free Search →8. Frequently Asked Questions About Scams in South Carolina
How much money did South Carolina lose to scams in 2025?
South Carolina residents reported $264,083,026 in losses to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2025. That's a 80.3% increase from $146,468,765 in 2024. South Carolina ranks #20 nationally for total scam losses.
What are the most common scams in South Carolina?
While the FBI doesn't publish scam-type data at the state level, the biggest threats nationally — and almost certainly in South Carolina — are investment fraud ($8.65B), business email compromise ($3.05B), tech support scams ($2.13B), and romance scams ($929M). Phishing is the most common by volume with over 191,000 complaints.
How do I report a scam in South Carolina?
File a complaint with the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov for internet-related fraud. You can also report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, contact the South Carolina Attorney General's consumer protection office, file a local police report, or submit a report at ScamComplaints.org.
How does South Carolina compare to other states for scam losses?
South Carolina ranks #20 out of 51 (all states plus D.C.) for total reported scam losses and #23 on a per-capita basis. South Carolina accounts for 1.4% of the $20.8 billion in national losses.
Are scams getting worse in South Carolina?
Yes. Reported scam losses in South Carolina increased 80.3% from 2024 to 2025. Nationally, losses are up 25.8% year over year and have grown 67% in just two years.
📊 Methodology
Dollar-loss figures by state come from the FBI IC3’s 2024 and 2025 annual reports. We calculated per-capita numbers using the Census Bureau’s 2024 population estimates. Metro rankings draw on FTC Consumer Sentinel complaint data. Scam-type breakdowns reflect IC3 crime-type categories and are national, not state-specific. Keep in mind that the FBI itself estimates only 2–6% of victims ever file complaints — so South Carolina’s real losses could realistically run 17 to 50 times what appears here.