Crypto Scams Soar to Record $17B in 2025, AI at the Center
Crypto scams reached unprecedented levels in 2025, fueled by sophisticated AI-driven schemes that inflicted massive financial losses. Chainalysis data reveals illicit addresses absorbed over $14 billion, with projections nearing $17 billion as additional wallets are analyzed. Impersonation fraud exploded by 1,400% year-over-year, while AI-powered criminal operations generated 4.5 times more revenue and processed 9 times the daily transactions of traditional scams.
Industrial-scale "Lighthouse" scam kits alone produced $1.5 million in illicit gains over three years. Asian markets emerged as primary targets, with average victim losses ballooning 253% from $782 to $2,764 per incident. Global law enforcement agencies responded with major operations targeting $15 billion in fraudulent activity across digital asset networks.
