Americans lost $11B to crypto scams in 2025, says FBI

According to the bureau, a large number of minors aged 17 and younger were included in complaints related to crypto or crypto ATMs, resulting in more than $5 million in losses.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that Americans’ losses from crypto-related scams increased to more than $11 million in 2025.

In its annual internet crime complaint report released on Monday, the FBI said that cryptocurrency and AI-related scams were “among the costliest” for Americans in 2025, with 181,565 complaints totaling more than $11 billion. According to the bureau, it received more than one million complaints in 2025 reporting losses of about $21 million due to cyber-enabled crimes.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that investment scams resulted in the highest percentage of victims reporting losses in crypto as opposed to cash, debit cards, gift cards and other media of exchange. In addition, about 10% of the 13,168 complaints involving cybercrimes targeting minors aged 17 and younger were related to crypto or crypto ATMs, resulting in more than $5 million in losses.

The complaints the FBI received were despite the bureau’s efforts to “identify and notify people who are currently falling victim to cryptocurrency investment fraud” through its Operation Level Up in 2024. Globally, blockchain analytics platform Chainalysis reported in March that illicit addresses received $154 billion in 2025, driven in part by sanctions evasions.

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According to the FBI report, there were 32,424 complaints involved in impersonation of government officials, resulting in about $800 million in losses. However, the report did not mention bureau officials issuing a March notice warning Americans that a token on the Tron blockchain was impersonating the FBI with the goal of obtaining personal information.

Tron users reported receiving a token with the FBI logo claiming that their wallet was “under investigation.” The users were then prompted to enter personal information under the guise of an FBI anti-money-laundering verification to avoid their accounts being frozen.

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Source: CoinTelegraph