'$3.7B lost to deepfakes' Why social media is the perfect launchpad for AI fraud

Date:
Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:11:06 +0000

Description:
From fake celebrity endorsements to phone calls, video meetings, and
messaging apps, new Surfshark research finds people have lost at least $3.7 billion to deepfake fraud and social media is the single biggest origin point. Here's how to stay safe.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Surfshark's study puts total recorded deepfake fraud losses at $3.7 billion Social media is the leading origin point, accounting for 47% of losses 2025 and 2026 alone are
responsible for 89% of the damage Deepfakes have graduated from an internet curiosity into a serious financial threat.

New research from Surfshark finds that people have now lost at least $3.7 billion to deepfake fraud, and the pace of that damage is accelerating sharply. The study also traced where these scams tend to begin, and one channel stands out above all others. Social media is the single largest
origin point, accounting for 47% of all recorded losses.

Running the best VPN will encrypt your traffic and hide your IP address, but it cannot stop a convincing fake video of a celebrity or a cloned voice on
the phone from talking you out of your savings. Social media is the biggest source of deepfake fraud (Image credit: Surfshark) The scale of the problem has changed almost overnight. You may like New study warns over half of Americans hit by fraud in 2025 They are another reminder of criminal activity designed to defraud people: NatWest boss becomes latest City figure caught in AI social media scam Big Tech slapped with $3.5bn in fines for using your personal data to train AI and 'it could be only the beginning,' warns Surfshark

According to Surfshark's data , losses totalled just $83 million between 2020 and 2023, then climbed to $335 million in 2024, surged to $2.5 billion in 2025, and had already reached $764 million in the first half of 2026. Together, 2025 and 2026 account for 89% of all recorded losses.

Most of these losses come from criminals using deepfakes of celebrities and public figures to push fraudulent investment schemes on social media.

"A single deepfake video can go viral in hours, reaching millions of
potential victims before it's detected or removed. No other channel offers that kind of reach at zero cost," explains Lus Costa, Research Lead at Surfshark.

Not every viral fake causes harm, though. Costa points out that an innocent deepfake of a footballer during the World Cup might rack up millions of views without costing anyone a penny, while a fake government post promoting a dubious investment scheme can drain thousands of dollars from a single
victim. The threat is spreading beyond your feed Social media is only part of the picture. Impersonation fraud, where criminals use deepfakes to pose as real people or bypass identity checks, is the second-largest category at $911 million or 25% of losses. What to read next 'Deepfake as a service' sees 39% spike in dark web conversations and experts fear it will fuel the next wave of fake boss scams Deepfakes are eroding trust: Why verification tools are essential Security experts warn of AI-boosted scam campaigns that can trick even the smartest victims

Fake job candidate schemes, in which AI-generated interviews are used to infiltrate hiring processes, added a further $100 million. These scams are expected to rise, too. As TechRadar previously reported, a 39% spike in "deepfake-as-a-service" chatter on the dark web could end up fueling the next wave of "fake boss" scams.

Everyday communication channels are increasingly in the firing line as well, contributing $174 million between them: phone calls ($71 million), video platforms ($62 million), and messaging apps ($41 million).

The FBI's latest Internet Crime Report also logged $893 million in AI-related losses for 2025, with AI-assisted investment fraud alone accounting for $632 million.

A separate Surfshark experiment found that nearly half of people cannot reliably tell a bot from a human online . Today's best Surfshark deals +3 months free Surfshark 24 Months 1.79 /mth View at Surfshark Surfshark 12 Months 2.49 /mth View at Surfshark Surfshark 1 Month 11.99 /mth View at Surfshark How to stay safe As Costa puts it, "awareness is the only effective defense when a familiar voice or face can no longer be trusted implicitly".

For personal calls and messages, he suggests setting up a family "safe word" you can use with loved ones to confirm identity when a request feels urgent
or out of character.

On video calls, a "glitch test" can help too. Ask the other person to wave a hand in front of their face, as deepfakes often blur or distort when facial features are obscured.

TechRadar has more advice on catching convincing AI images and deepfakes if you want to sharpen your eye. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/usd3-7b-lost-to-deepfakes-w hy-social-media-is-the-perfect-launchpad-for-ai-fraud


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