FIGURES
- US$470 million: Lost to text scams in the United States in 2024, five times the 2020 figure. Source: Federal Trade Commission, Data Spotlight: Top text scams of 2024, 14 Apr 2025, https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2025/04/top-text-scams-2024
- 61%: Rise in losses to text scams reported by people aged 60 and over in 2025. Source: Federal Trade Commission, Protecting Older Consumers 2025-2026, 19 Oct 2026, https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2026-older-adults-report-10192026.pdf
- USPIS: A real USPS tracking text comes only if you asked for it, and it will not contain a link. Source: US Postal Inspection Service, smishing guidance, 19 May 2025, https://www.uspis.gov/news/scam-article/smishing-package-tracking-text-scams

DEMAND SIGNALS (vidIQ, 25 October 2026)
- Fake package delivery was the most reported text scam in the United States in 2024, and unpaid tolls the fourth (FTC).
- A TikTok on an Apple Pay scam text reached 828,000 views, 12 times the creator's median, and a UK delivery-scam warning 581,000, 35 times (vidIQ).