🚨 Crypto Scams Surge: Mid‑2025 Update
📉 Scale of Losses
By mid‑2025, crypto scams and hacks have exceeded $2.17 billion, already surpassing total losses for all of 2024
CoinLedger
+10
Outlook Money
+10
The Times of India
+10
.
Certik reports 344 incidents in H1 2025, with net losses nearing $2.29 billion — up from $1.98 billion in 2024
Investopedia
.
A single event—the $1.5 billion ByBit hack, attributed to North Korean state-sponsored actors—accounts for nearly 69% of all stolen funds this year
Outlook Money
+1
The Times of India
+1
.
🌍 Regional Hotspots & Trends
Q1 2025 saw a 200% increase in suspicious activity, with India and Indonesia leading the surge. India flagged ~27,000 suspicious accounts; Indonesia saw activity spike by 1,303% compared to Q4 2024
Surfshark
+4
BTCC
+4
Arya Exchange
+4
.
💻 Emerging Tactics & AI Usage
A staggering 456% global increase in crypto scams was recorded between May 2024 and April 2025, with AI-driven tactics such as deepfake voices and video impersonations becoming increasingly prevalent
New York Post
.
At least 87 deepfake scam rings were dismantled across Asia in Q1 2025, representing nearly 40% of high‑value cases
Cointelegraph
+1
Wikipedia
+1
.
📊 Why the Chainalysis Chart Matters
The displayed image (from Chainalysis’ 2025 Crypto Crime Report) shows year-over-year growth in illicit inflows to scam wallets across categories. It highlights not just raw volume but also a shift toward shorter, faster scams, and more diverse asset use—especially stablecoins now comprising ~63% of illicit transactions
CoinLedger
+5
Chainalysis
+5
Chainalysis
+5
.
🔍 Scam Types & Dynamics
Pig-butchering scams (long‑term romance and grooming tactics) cost investors around $5.5 billion in 2024, with a continued sharp rise when paired with AI tools in 2025
.
High-yield Ponzi or HYIP schemes remain widespread; these and pig butchering made up over 80% of scam revenue in 2024
Wikipedia
+1
Chainalysis
+1
.
Phishing & wallet hacks account for a growing share—23% of stolen funds so far come from individual wallet compromises
Outlook Money
.
Other evolving tactics include deepfake celebrity/spokesperson endorsements, fake trading groups, and impersonation scams targeting trust networks online
Cointelegraph
+2
+2
New York Post
+2
.
🛡️ How to Stay Safe
Verify before you trust: do not rely on unsolicited messages from social media, Telegram groups, or deepfake videos. Check official sources.
Segregate wallets: use separate wallets for experimentation or trading and avoid storing large balances there
Cointelegraph
.
Educate yourself: be cautious of high-return promises, unfamiliar “coaching” groups, or unsolicited investment invites.
Enable strong security: use hardware wallets, 2FA, and stay alert to spoofed forms and phishing campaigns like those abusing Google Forms
Arya Exchange
+13
techradar.com
+13
heraldsun.com.au
+13
.
📌 Summary Table
Metric Value (H1 2025)
Total scam losses ≈ $2.17–2.29 billion
% from individual wallets ~23%
Largest single seizure $1.5 billion (ByBit hack)
Deepfake-related scam rings dismantled 87 (Asia, Q1 2025)
Pig-butchering losses (2024) ~$5.5 billion#CryptoScamSurge