Nearly 60% of scam cases handled by Allstate between January through September 2026 involved impersonation, according to stats provided by the insurer.

Scammers posing as trusted people or organizations, such as banks, law enforcement agencies, delivery companies or family members, pressure people to send money.

Nearly 75% of cases involved a phone call from the scammer, and more than 90% involved payment methods such as cryptocurrency, gift cards, peer-to-peer payment apps and wire transfers.

“Scammers make fraud look real by pretending to be someone you trust and pressuring you to act before you have time to think. During the holiday rush, pause and verify an unexpected request before sending money,” said Caroline Slane, senior vice president of business operations, Allstate Identity Protection.

Unlike traditional identity theft, impersonation scams typically involve victims voluntarily sending money after being deceived by someone pretending to be a trusted person or organization.

Allstate calls this growing category of impersonation fraud “fake-and-take” scams because criminals establish false trust and use urgency and fear to pressure victims into sending money.

What begins as a text, email or social media message often escalates to a phone call, where the impersonation can become even more believable.

Scammers also steer victims toward payment methods that are difficult or impossible to reverse once money has been sent. More than 90% of Allstate’s scam cases in 2026 involved payment methods such as cryptocurrency, gift cards, peer-to-peer payment apps and wire transfers, the insurer said.

Allstate offers two different types of protection.

Allstate Scam Protection, available through participating employee benefits plans, and free identity theft protection available to 7.5 million eligible Allstate policyholders in 44 states.