In 2025, crypto-related scams and frauds resulted in losses of up to $17 billion, according to Chainalysis’ latest report. Criminals increasingly turned to impersonation tactics and AI-powered tools, moving away from broad, low-value schemes toward more targeted and highly profitable social engineering attacks. These scams often involve fake exchange representatives, government notices, or trusted insiders, made more convincing by deepfakes and automation.

Chainalysis found that impersonation scams grew rapidly year over year, with average payment sizes rising as attackers focused on fewer but wealthier victims. AI-enabled scams were significantly more profitable than traditional methods, highlighting how advanced technology is reshaping crypto crime. While hacks and exploits remain a threat, the report shows that the largest losses now come from manipulation of human trust rather than technical weaknesses in wallets or smart contracts.