Investing Blog Roundup: Cybercrime Losses Grew by ~60% for the Age 60+ Crowd in 2025

I hadn’t expected it, but interest in the recent cybersecurity-related articles has been absolutely off the charts, based on the volume of incoming questions, comments, and frequency with which readers are sharing the articles with other people.

I only have two more articles planned for the series (hardware security keys and an overall plan to keep yourself and vulnerable loved ones safe), and then we’ll be back to more typical content (though mixing in cybersecurity-related topics here and there, as it really is a core part of personal finance).

In any case, here’s the series so far:

• What Does a Thief Need to Access Your Financial Accounts? It’s Likely Less Than You Think
• It Can Be Easier to Fall Victim to Fraud on Mobile than Desktop
• Authenticator Apps: a Better Multi-Factor Option than Text or Email
• Stop Trying to Remember Your Passwords (And Use a Password Manager Instead.)
• What the Heck are Passkeys? And Should I Be Using Them?

From 2018-2024, losses from cybercrime for people age 60+ went from $649 million to $4.8 billion — a seven-fold increase. (And it’s generally accepted as fact that actual losses are much higher than the reported figures, given that many people never report their losses due to simply not bothering with it or due to feeling embarrassed.)

Last week, the FBI released their annual report with the figure for 2025: $7.748 billion. That’s an increase of roughly 60% in just one year. Here’s what it looks like visually:

And with AI tools being dramatically more powerful this year than last year, I have to imagine the 2026 figure is going to be even worse.

• Cryptocurrency and AI Scams Bilk Americans of Billions from the FBI
• FBI 2025 Internet Crime Report
• Prior years’ reports here, if you’re interested

Other Recommended Reading

• Talking to Mike Piper, Christine Benz about the Pressure of Being Right (and Dealing with Their Own Imposter Syndrome) from Josh Katzowitz
• Wall Street Watchdogs Pull Back Amid Trump’s Deregulatory Push from Nicola White, Katanga Johnson, and J.J. McCorvey
• The Upper Middle Class Trap from Nick Maggiulli
• Creating A Flexible Retirement Date ‘Window’ To Mitigate Sequence And Cohort Risk from Georgios Argyris
• Breakeven Real Rates for Delayed Social Security Claiming from Nathan Dutzmann
• It’s Time to Review Your Beneficiary Designations from Daniel Michaelsen
• Tips for Choosing the Best Healthcare Proxy from Diana Cabrices
• Scott Bessent and Jay Powell Call Meeting with Big Banks to Discuss Cyber Threats from Anthropic’s Latest Model from Samantha Subin and Hugh Son

Thanks for reading!