TLDR

The FBI said crypto fraud losses in the US reached $11.366 billion in 2025.
Cryptocurrency-related fraud generated 181,565 complaints in the IC3 annual report.
Crypto investment scams accounted for $7.2 billion of total reported losses.
Americans aged 60 and older lost $4.43 billion in crypto-related fraud.
Operation Level Up helped save an estimated $225.8 million in 2025.

The FBI said Americans lost more than $11.3 billion to cryptocurrency fraud in 2025. The figures came from the agency’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, also known as IC3. The annual report showed that crypto fraud made up more than half of all reported cybercrime losses.

The IC3 report recorded 1,008,597 complaints across all cybercrime categories in 2025. Total losses reached $20.877 billion, which was 26% higher than in 2024. Within that total, cryptocurrency-related cases produced 181,565 complaints and $11.366 billion in losses.

The FBI data showed how quickly this category has grown. Crypto fraud losses were about $27 million in 2017. By 2025, that figure had risen more than 400 times. The report placed digital assets among the largest sources of financial harm tracked by the agency.

These figures also showed the growing role of cryptocurrency in online fraud. The FBI said digital assets were the most loss-heavy category in the 2025 report. That made crypto fraud one of the main law enforcement concerns in the cybercrime space.

Investment Scams Drove Most Crypto-Related Losses

The largest share of crypto fraud came from investment scams. The FBI said these scams generated $7.2 billion in reported losses in 2025. That made crypto investment fraud the single biggest source of reported financial loss in the report.

The agency said these scams often begin through text messages, social media, dating apps, or online ads. Victims are then directed to what appear to be investment platforms or private groups. The platforms often display fake profits and encourage larger transfers.

The FBI described the method as one that uses “psychological manipulation, the appearance of legitimacy, and exploitation of cryptocurrencies.” In many cases, victims are told to pay extra taxes or fees before making withdrawals. After that, the operators disappear with the funds.

The report also linked many of these operations to organized crime groups in Southeast Asia. It named Cambodia, Laos, and Burma as locations tied to scam compounds. The FBI said some of these centers use trafficked people as forced labor.

Crypto Remained a Common Payment Method Across Fraud Types

The FBI report said cryptocurrency was widely used in several types of fraud, not just investment schemes. It was used in 72% of investment fraud transactions tracked in the report. It was also used in 43% of tech support scams and 40% of government impersonation scams.

Investment fraud as a broad category produced $8.648 billion in losses in 2025. The crypto portion made up the largest share of that amount. Tech support scams involving cryptocurrency produced another $1.226 billion in losses.

The report also pointed to rising losses from crypto ATM and kiosk scams. These cases often involve scammers directing victims to physical machines and asking them to scan QR codes. In 2025, that category produced 13,460 complaints and $389 million in losses.

Recovery scams were also a major issue. In those cases, fraudsters target people who already lost money and promise to recover the funds. The FBI said recovery scams led to 10,516 complaints and $1.4 billion in losses during the year.

Older Americans Faced the Heaviest Losses as FBI Expanded Enforcement

Americans aged 60 and older reported the highest crypto fraud losses in 2025. This group filed 44,555 crypto-related complaints and lost $4.43 billion. That was more than any other age group in the report.

Within crypto investment fraud, people aged 60 and above reported $2.76 billion in losses. The 50 to 59 age group reported $1.38 billion. Seniors also made up most of the losses in crypto ATM scams, accounting for about $257.5 million.

The FBI said it has expanded efforts to stop these crimes before more money is lost. Operation Level Up, launched in January 2024, uses IC3 data to identify people who are still being targeted. In 2025, the program notified 3,780 victims and helped save an estimated $225.8 million.

The agency also said 78% of the people contacted did not know they were being scammed. Since Operation Level Up began, the FBI said it has helped save more than $500 million. A separate federal task force is also targeting scam compounds and related infrastructure tied to organized crime networks.

The post Americans Lost $11.3 Billion to Crypto Fraud in 2025; FBI appeared first on CoinCentral.

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Filed under: News - @ April 8, 2026 6:27 am