Deepfake-driven fraud has caused $2.19 billion in losses globally, with $1.65 billion reported in 2025 alone, according to an analysis by Surfshark. More than half of these losses were due to investment scams using deepfakes of high-profile figures.
“Our analysis reveals that the most successful tactic for scammers involves using deepfakes of government officials or celebrities to endorse various investment opportunities,” the researchers write. “This method alone has caused $1.13 billion in damages, which represents 52% of all reported deepfake-related fraud losses. This is followed by corporate attacks — such as the impersonation of CEOs to request unauthorized transactions — at 25%. Other significant contributors include financial crimes where victims’ identities are stolen and scammers use deepfake technology to secure bank loans or drain accounts (9%), followed by deepfaked romance scams (7%), family member impersonation (6%), and various other forms of deepfake-related fraud (2%).”
More than $700 million was lost by victims in the US, with corporate losses accounting for 43%.
“The United States was the most targeted country globally for deepfake-related scams, suffering $712 million in losses,” Surfshark says. “Of these, 43% occurred in the corporate sector — involving scams in which deepfakes were used to trick organizations into sending money or, in some cases, to place fake candidates in remote jobs. Another 31% of losses resulted from deepfaked investment opportunities. A particularly concerning trend in the US is the impersonation of family members using deepfakes, which has already caused $124 million in losses, or 17% of the US total. While deepfake family member scams have appeared in other countries, the US currently accounts for 99.9% of all such losses globally. However, this concerning trend is likely to become more widespread internationally in the near future.”
Surfshark has the story.
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