📈 Trend Overview
· In H1 2025 alone, crypto-related hacks and scams wiped out approximately $2.47 billion—exceeding the total of 2024’s losses Elliptic+13TradingView+13The Times of India+13.
· For the full year of 2024, U.S. citizens lost $9.3 billion to crypto scams—an all-time high Elliptic+1CoinLedger+1.
· Global illicit activity remained substantial, with an estimated $12 billion funneled into scam wallets in 2024 alone CoinLedger.
🚨 Scam Tactics & Emerging Threats
· Pig-butcher romance scams, where trust is built then abused, made up over 33% of high-yield scams and grew 40% year-on-year Investopedia+7Wikipedia+7New York Post+7. Victims, especially older adults, lost tens of millions in this fraudulent format Herald Sun+1New York Post+1.
· AI-powered impersonation and deepfake scams surged up to 900% between 2023–2025, used to mimic influencers and executives to lure victims The Times of India+3CoinLaw+3Blockchain Technology News+3.
· Fake meme‑coins and pump‑and‑dump schemes grew rapidly. Several high-profile token launches were promoted via compromised government and celebrity social media accounts, only to collapse after founders cashed out Wikipedia.
🏛 Real‑World Cases & Geographic Focus
· Major hacks included the ByBit mega‑heist (linked to North Korea) and CoinDCX breach, contributing significantly to the $2.17 billion in stolen funds in first half of 2025 AInvest+3Chainalysis+3The Times of India+3.
· In India, scams involved criminal gangs posing as employers—including a Delhi work‑from‑home fraud where ₹17.5 lakh was taken from one victim via cryptocurrency transactions The Times of India. Another network laundered ₹3.2 crore across 11 states using USDT transfers to Hong Kong wallets The Times of India.
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