Cryptocurrency holders lost an estimated $17 billion to scams and fraud in 2025 as impersonation schemes and AI-enabled attacks explode, according to a new report.
Researchers at Chainalysis say on-chain inflows to scam addresses hit at least $14 billion and could exceed $17 billion as more illicit wallets are identified.
Fraudsters are increasingly using impersonation tactics, where attackers pose as trusted entities to trick victims into transferring funds.
These scams grew by more than 1400 percent compared with 2024, and the average amount stolen per scam jumped from $782 to $2,764.
AI tools are making scams more profitable and harder to detect. Chainalysis finds AI-linked operations extract roughly 4.5 times more value per scheme than traditional scams, with deepfake content, automated messaging and sophisticated phishing services enabling fraudsters to reach more victims.
Government and private-sector impersonation are both rising. One widespread campaign used fake E-ZPass texts to lure victims, while a separate case involved scammers posing as Coinbase support to convince users to move crypto to fraudulent wallets.
Major scam infrastructure now mirrors industrial networks, with professional money-laundering systems and phishing-as-a-service tools spreading globally.
Law enforcement reported record crypto seizures in 2025, including tens of thousands of bitcoins and billions in assets linked to organized crime groups.
The report documents a continued rise in crypto-related fraud in 2025 with scams increasingly relying on impersonation tactics and AI-enabled tools to extract funds from victims.
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