#CryptoScamSurge Here’s a comprehensive overview of the surge in crypto scams—globally and in India—as of 2025:

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📈 Global Trends and Scale

Crypto scam losses hit at least USD 4.6 billion in 2024, marking a roughly 24% increase from the previous year, according to Bitget, Elliptic, and SlowMist. Nearly 40% of high‑value fraud leveraged AI-powered deepfake impersonations of trusted public figures .

Chainalysis reports that crypto thefts surged to USD 2.2 billion in 2024, a 21% YoY increase, with North Korean hackers responsible for $1.34 billion of that (61%) .

The Sumsub report highlights a 48% global increase in crypto fraud, with pig‑butchering and high‑yield investment scams contributing significantly to revenue growth .

According to Kaspersky, crypto‑related phishing attempts rose by 83.4% in 2024 and mobile banking malware targeted crypto users extensively, especially in India (2.4% of users globally) .

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🧠 Scam Types on the Rise

1. AI‑Driven Deepfake Scams

Fraudsters use AI to impersonate influencers or celebrities. In one case, a deepfake Elon Musk livestream collected over USD 5 million from victims .

2. Pig‑Butchering Scams

Sophisticated scams where trust is built over time before draining victims’ assets. These made up 33.2% of crypto fraud revenue in 2024, growing by ~40% year-over-year .

U.S. losses exceeded USD 5 billion in 2024, up over 40% from 2023, with authorities sounding alarms over cross-border Chinese syndicate activity .

Advocacy groups and courts are now pressing banks to flag suspicious “authorized” transfers to vulnerable victims .

3. Rug Pulls and Ponzi‑Style DeFi Schemes

DeFi projects like “SecureYield” vanished in early 2025 after raising $80 million in a rug pull; another project, “CryptoProfitPool,” drew $120 million before collapse .

4. Fake Exchanges and Bot Trading Platforms

Fraudulent platforms like “TradeXPro” lured users with promises of algorithmic returns before shutting down with over $50 million in victim deposits .

5. Crypto Wallet Drainers

Fake DEXs or fake wallet connectors (e.g. Ammvip365) trick users into approving malicious contracts—instantly draining funds from the connected wallet .