Key Takeaways:
Americans' losses from cryptocurrency-related scams surged 22% to $11.4 billion in 2025, as organized criminal enterprises deployed more sophisticated fraud schemes, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a report published Tuesday.
“Cryptocurrency investment scams are sophisticated long-term scams using psychological manipulation, the appearance of legitimacy, and exploitation of cryptocurrencies to deceive victims into investing large sums of money," the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report stated.
The number of crypto-related complaints filed with the agency grew 21% to 181,565 last year. The average loss per incident was $62,604, and nearly 18,600 victims reported losing more than $100,000, indicating that scammers are targeting substantial sums.
The findings underscore a rapidly evolving threat landscape where digital asset fraud is a significant driver of overall cybercrime losses, which topped $20.8 billion in the U.S. last year. The report could intensify calls for stricter regulatory oversight of the crypto industry to protect retail investors from predatory schemes.
The FBI noted that many of the most effective scams are operated by organized crime groups based in Southeast Asia, which often use victims of human trafficking as forced labor to carry out the schemes.
These operations are not limited to crypto. Government impersonation scams, for example, nearly doubled in 2025, resulting in approximately $797 million in losses, the report showed. The agency also noted the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence in such scams, with AI being referenced in 260 government impersonation complaints.
The data aligns with findings from private-sector firms. A January report from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis estimated that worldwide losses from crypto scams and fraud reached $17 billion in 2025, with criminals increasingly using impersonation and AI-generated content to steal digital assets.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
