LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada ranks near the top of the nation for cyber crime reports and money lost to online scams, according to a new report from the FBI.
Victims in Nevada lost more than $302 million in 2025, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The state ranks 18th in the nation for total dollar loss but third when adjusted for population — more than $9.2 million lost for every 100,000 Nevadans.
Nevada also ranks third in the country for how often people report being targeted, with around 407 complaints for every 100,000 residents.
Christopher Delzotto, special agent in charge for FBI Las Vegas said he did not suspect Nevada would rank so high but noted the nation is facing a fraud epidemic. Complaints increased 25 to 26 percent from 2024 to 2025.
READ MORE: FBI: Nevada lost more than $302 million to cybercrime in 2025
Elderly victims and cryptocurrency fraud
The FBI said most victims were 60 and older, but younger victims have also fallen victim to sextortion scams.
“Las Vegas obviously has a decent size elderly demographic. That’s certainly a number one demographic of these crimes,” Delzotto said.
Victims age 60 and older in Nevada filed 3,008 complaints, reporting losses of more than $115 million. The state ranked 23rd nationally for elder fraud complaints.
“No matter the demographic, we have a pretty decent increase in complaints, dollar losses associated with them,” Delzotto said. “This year we really emphasized in the report the 17 and younger. We are certainly seeing a trend when it comes to financial sextortion.”
According to the report Nevada residents filed 2,518 complaints involving cryptocurrency in 2025, with losses exceeding $205 million. The state ranked 20th nationally for cryptocurrency-related complaints.
International threat
When asked what makes Nevada vulnerable to cyber crime, Delzotto said Las Vegas is no different than any metropolitan area or small town throughout the United States.
“When you are talking about IC3 report, a million complaints representing $20 billion dollar losses, it’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when a given person in a given city is going to be targeted with fraud or cyber crime,” he said.
Most fraud schemes operate not only nationwide but internationally, Delzotto said. The top 10 ransomware variants the FBI is tracking are operated by actors in countries abroad.
Delzotto said relationships and extradition treaties vary depending on the country.
“It’s not always about the arrests,” he said. “It’s, hey, can we take that server offline in some capacity? Can we disrupt them another way through travel habits, through whatever financial mechanism they are using?”
Money recovery possible
Delzotto said victims who send fraudulent wire transfers can freeze and recoup that money through a process involving the FBI’s relationship with the U.S. Treasury and Financial Enforcement Network.
In 2025, $600 million was frozen and recalled, he said.
“Within the first 24 hours, our success rate using that tool is 70 to 80 percent,” Delzotto said. “At 48 hours it drops to 50 percent, and at 72 hours there’s really a low chance of recouping that money, so time is of the essence.”
The FBI said when victims fall for these scams they are usually embarrassed and most crimes could go unreported. Agents encourage everyone to report cyber crime to ic3.gov and urge anyone who spots a suspicious transfer or email to contact their bank immediately.
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