Fraud comes in many forms, from phone and email “phishing” scams, to AI impersonations, to fake ads and beyond.
The Federal Trade Commission estimates that people lost $10 billion to scams in the U.S. last year, with the top fraud category being imposter scams. The type of scam drove $2.7 billion in losses, and refers to fraud in which people pretend to be a trusted person or institution, including their bank, the government, a friend or family member, or a well-known business.
Recognizable and respected companies are an easy way for scammers to gain people’s trust, especially via email, where it’s easy to spoof addresses and logos to appear legitimate. These are the seven companies that were impersonated the most by “phishers” in 2023, according to a report by cybersecurity firm Proofpoint.
