Scam losses reported by North Carolina consumers topped $1 billion over five years, according to an analysis of Federal Trade Commission data provided to Enlace Latino NC by The Associated Press. The amount reported as lost rose every year from 2021 through 2025, from about $95 million in 2021 to just over $342 million in 2025 — yaani the yearly loss more than tripled in five years.
Source: Associated Press analysis via Business Mirror — Oct. 22, 2026
The number of reports grew far more slowly than the money lost: there were about 71,000 scam reports in 2021 and 74,000 in 2025, with a dip in the years between, AP found. The data reflect what consumers reported to the FTC and to other scam-tracking organisations that share data with the agency. A report does not mean authorities verified that a scam occurred, and many people who are scammed never file one, so the figures show only part of the problem.
The immigration-scam blind spot
One category shows the limits of the data. In Durham County, home to about 350,000 people, only seven reports were classified as immigration services scams over the five years — yet that was still enough to give Durham the highest per-capita rate in North Carolina for that category, Newsday reported. The FTC has been aware for years of concerns about immigration services scams in the state; in 2014 the FTC and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services held a consumer-protection event in Durham that addressed, among other issues, immigration services and 'notario' scams. The low report count raises a question the data cannot answer: how many scams targeting immigrant communities are never reported at all.
Source: Newsday reporting via Fayetteville Newsroom — Oct. 22, 2026
Mecklenburg County recorded the state's highest per-capita rate in eight of the 47 scam subcategories the FTC tracks, including scams tied to online shopping, diet products and debt counselling. AP built an interactive tool to explore scam reports by county, with help from student journalists at Indiana University's Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism.
The North Carolina Department of Justice urges consumers to verify that a business or website is legitimate before sending money or private information. Anyone who believes they may have been scammed can file a complaint with the department. For immigration help, use only a licensed attorney or an accredited representative — never pay a 'notario' or agent who guarantees a visa or a result.