Scammers Mine Google Results for Personal Data as FTC Puts 2025 Social-Media Scam Losses at $2.1 Billion
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 16
Scammers Mine Google Results for Personal Data as FTC Puts 2025 Social-Media Scam Losses at $2.1 Billion
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 16
A simple Google search of someone’s full name can surface addresses, relatives, employers, property records and photos within minutes, giving scammers enough detail to craft highly believable calls, texts and emails.
Google-indexed people-search sites, public records, LinkedIn, Facebook and image results let criminals refine profiles fast, then use family links and reverse-image searches to target elderly relatives as well as the original victim.
FTC data released in April 2026 said nearly 30% of people who reported losing money to a scam in 2025 said it began on social media, with losses totaling $2.1 billion; IC3 separately logged more than $20 billion in overall fraud losses.
Google’s "Results About You" tool can hide some search links, but the report says underlying broker records often remain live and can reappear, making repeated opt-outs or paid data-removal services the main cleanup options.
With global fraud losses in the billions, why isn't the data broker industry held liable for the crimes it enables?
As AI clones voices and personalizes scams, is any digital communication from family now fundamentally untrustworthy?
When defensive AI can't stop deepfake scams, what is the last line of defense for protecting your assets?