#Crypto Scam And FBI Report ‼️‼️
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released a report on cryptocurrency-related crimes, highlighting a significant increase in fraud losses. Here are the key findings ¹ ² ³:
- *Total Losses*: 😭 😭 😭
The IC3 received over 140,000 cryptocurrency-related complaints in 2024, resulting in approximately $9.3 billion in losses, a 66% increase from 2023.
- *Demographic Most Affected*: ☠️☠️☠️Adults over 60 were the most vulnerable to crypto fraud, filing around 33,000 complaints and suffering $2.8 billion in losses.
- *Types of Scams*:😡😡😡😡
The most common scams included:
- *Investment Schemes*: Causing the most significant financial damage, with losses totaling $6.5 billion in 2024 and $3.9 billion in 2023.
- *Sextortion Schemes*: 🩸🩸🩸
Generating the highest number of individual complaints.
- *Cryptocurrency ATM and Kiosk Scams*: Also prevalent.
- *Prevention Efforts*: The FBI's "Operation Level Up" initiative saved potential victims approximately $285 million between January 2024 and January 2025.
- *Global Impact*: Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis estimated around $41 billion in illicit cryptocurrency transactions globally in 2024, with about 25% of funds connected to hacking, extortion, trafficking, or scams.
To protect yourself from cryptocurrency schemes, be cautious of ² ⁴:
- Unsolicited calls or messages claiming to work for a well-known company or government agency
- Investment opportunities that sound too good to be true
- Websites or apps that impersonate legitimate financial institutions
- Requests for personally identifying information without verification
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