In 2025, cryptocurrency criminals stole a record $17 billion, marking the highest figure ever recorded and reflecting the rapid increase in the technological complexity of fraudulent schemes.
This is reported by Business • Media
Sharp Rise in Financial Losses Due to Identity Theft and Artificial Intelligence
- The volume of stolen funds reached the highest level in history.
- Identity theft fraud increased by 1400% over the year.
- AI-based schemes proved to be 4.5 times more profitable than traditional ones.
According to a Chainalysis analytical report, the main contributor to the increase in losses was identity theft fraud schemes. In just one year, the volume of such operations grew by 1400%, and the average size of a fraudulent payment rose from $782 to $2764.
Analysts note that fraudulent operations are becoming increasingly organized and industrialized. Criminal networks actively use phishing as a service, deepfakes, AI-based tools, and professional channels for money laundering, simplifying the execution of large-scale attacks.
AI Schemes Yield Several Times More Profit
The report pays special attention to the use of artificial intelligence technologies in fraudulent operations. Schemes involving AI tools, on average, generated $3.2 million per operation, while traditional types of fraud generated $719,000. Thus, AI schemes are 4.5 times more profitable.
These types of fraud are also characterized by higher daily revenues and significantly more transactions. The report states:
“Schemes involving AI tools generated an average of $3.2 million per operation compared to $719,000 in traditional types of fraud. This makes them 4.5 times more profitable, experts noted.”
In addition, experts found a consistent link between cryptocurrency crime and the Southeast Asian region. In particular, this refers to fraudulent schemes in Cambodia and Myanmar, where victims of human trafficking are forced to participate in criminal activities.
Despite the rise in criminal activity, countermeasures were also strengthened in 2025. According to Chainalysis, law enforcement agencies managed to seize at least $14 billion, including large confiscations in the UK and cases against transnational criminal groups.
Experts predict that the total amount of stolen funds for 2025 could exceed $17 billion due to the discovery of new illegal addresses. Analysts also warn that in 2026, fraudulent schemes will evolve, increasingly combining artificial intelligence, social engineering, and complex financial infrastructure.
Earlier, news emerged about the discovery of a new phishing scheme targeting MetaMask.