Three benchmark reports
Europol — IOCTA 2026
The Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment, published on April 28, 2026, is titled "how encryption, proxies and AI are growing cybercrime." It points to the persistence of ransomware (several groups active throughout 2025) and a growing overlap between hybrid state-linked threats and criminal actors, the latter sometimes acting as relays for destabilization operations.
ENISA — Threat Landscape 2025
The EU's cybersecurity agency observes increasingly diversified targeting of public administrations by structured groups — extending beyond central government institutions to diplomatic entities, ministries, law enforcement and political parties.
FBI — Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2024 annual report
The FBI's complaint center logged 859,532 reports in 2024, totaling $16.6 billion in reported losses — up 33% year over year. New in 2026: the FBI introduced a dedicated "AI-related" descriptor in its complaint classification — more than 22,000 reports and nearly $900 million in losses counted under this category in its very first year.
What these reports have in common
Three different organizations, three different regions of the world — but the same conclusion: online fraud isn't slowing down, it's changing shape. Techniques are getting more sophisticated (encryption, proxies, AI per Europol), targets are diversifying (public administrations per ENISA), and the volume keeps climbing (+33% in reported losses to the FBI in a single year). That's exactly the thread running through The Threat Laboratory: each following report digs into one of these trends in detail.
Frequently asked questions
Who publishes reliable reports on the global state of scams?
Public bodies: Europol (IOCTA, its annual report on organized crime online), ENISA (the EU cybersecurity agency, Threat Landscape), and the FBI through its IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center) for the United States.
How much do online scams cost each year?
In the United States alone, the FBI recorded $16.6 billion in reported losses in 2024, across 859,532 complaints. See also the detailed breakdown of the average cost of a scam.
Has AI really changed the scale of scams?
Yes, according to Europol: the IOCTA 2026 report explicitly identifies AI, encryption and proxies as factors expanding cybercrime. The FBI even created a dedicated descriptor for AI-related complaints in 2026. See also the report on generative AI & voice deepfakes.