Crypto scams drove $11.37 billion in FBI-reported losses last year

FBI complaint data showed 181,565 crypto-fraud complaints and $11.366 billion in losses, with Americans aged 60 and older accounting for $4.4 billion as regulators face mounting pressure to respond.

Summary

Crypto fraud generated 181,565 complaints and $11.366 billion in reported losses in the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Center report, a 22% increase from the prior year. Americans aged 60 and older accounted for 44,555 complaints and $4.4 billion in losses, the largest total of any age group tracked by the FBI and up from roughly $2.8 billion in 2024. The figures underscore how investment scams, impersonation schemes and so-called pig butchering operations continue to drive losses, particularly among older Americans who are often targeted because they hold more savings and may be less familiar with how crypto transfers work. Chainalysis separately estimated global crypto scam losses at about $17 billion in 2025, reflecting both confirmed on-chain links to fraudulent addresses and projections for activity not yet fully identified. The new FBI data adds to broader concern about fraud in digital-asset markets and is likely to intensify political and regulatory scrutiny in Washington, especially given the concentration of losses among seniors. The Consumer Federation of America had previously estimated the true toll could be far higher because many victims do not report fraud to law enforcement.

Terms & Concepts
  • pig butchering: A scam in which fraudsters build trust with victims over time before persuading them to send money into fake investments.
  • on-chain: Activity or data recorded on a blockchain that analysts can trace between wallet addresses.
  • investment fraud: Scams that lure victims with false or misleading promises of financial returns.