begin quote from AI Overview:
Cryptocurrency-linked crime reached a record high with an estimated $158 billion in adjusted illicit incoming activity, alongside over $17 billion stolen globally through scams and fraud.
Key Scale and Impact
- Overall Illicit Volume: Total incoming illicit crypto activity jumped from $64 billion in 2024 to $158 billion in 2025, breaking previous records.
- Scams and Fraud: Criminals stole about $17 billion via crypto scams, fueled by a 1,400% year-over-year surge in impersonation tactics.
- FBI Reports: The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center logged 181,565 cryptocurrency complaints totaling more than $11 billion in losses in recent filings.
- Underreported Losses: According to Thomson Reuters Institute, because roughly 85% of fraud victims never report crimes, true global losses may exceed $110 billion annually.
Major Tactics and Trends
- AI-Enabled Scams: Generative artificial intelligence made scams 4.5 times more profitable by scaling personalized, multi-step messaging and deepfakes.
- Pig Butchering & Kiosks: Long-con investment schemes ("pig butchering") and cash-to-crypto scams using Bitcoin ATMs remain major conduits for extracting funds from everyday investors.
- State-Sponsored Theft: North Korean hackers stole over $2 billion in 2025 alone, pushing their cumulative total past $6.75 billion through targeted cyberattacks and fake IT worker schemes.
Would you like to focus on a specific area, such as how to protect your own wallet, recent major hacks, or scams common in your region?
Show all
