KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping nearing its final week, the Kansas City Office of the FBI is warning shoppers to watch out for scammers as well as great deals.
There were over 530,000 complaints and over $13 billion in losses reported last year, with the average consumer loss of $25,700 per victim, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Most scams, according to the FBI, are cyber-enabled and have been made more effective by the use of AI.
The FBI news release states that in the first seven months of 2025, AI accounted for more than 9,000 complaints to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Among the scams were fake social media profiles, voice clones, identification documents and other computer-generated scams to drain money from their victims.
If you have been a victim of a scam or scams, here are some helpful things to remember to share with law officers when you report the crime:
- Any identifying information about the person or company that contacted them.
- Methods such as cell phones, emails and website scammers and phone numbers.
- Any kind of financial transaction information shared with the scammers.
- What was said by the scammer during the crime.
There are dozens of holiday scams that people use during the holiday season, including promises of love, threat to harm the scam victim and dozens of others, according to the FBI.
Don’t make snap decisions about a product or service, especially if you feel the person is trying to bully you.
It’s important to know who you are buying from or selling to lessen the chances of fraud.
The FBI also advises shoppers to be careful how they pay because scammers love to use pre-paid gift card scams.
The gift card seller will ask you to send them a gift card number and PIN. The scammers take the money.
If you suspect you’ve been the victim of fraud, go to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gp
—
If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
