Americans lost $9.3B to crypto fraud in 2024 — FBI
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported over 140,000 cryptocurrency-related complaints in 2024, leading to approximately $9.3 billion in losses. Individuals aged 60 and older were the most affected, with around 33,000 complaints and $2.8 billion in losses. Total reported losses reached a record $16.6 billion, with fraud being the primary cause and ransomware threats increasing by 9% from 2023. Losses rose 66% from $5.6 billion in 2023 to $9.3 billion in 2024, primarily due to crypto investment schemes. The highest number of complaints involved "sextortion" scams. The FBI's "Operation Level Up" saved potential victims about $285 million from January 2024 to January 2025. Chainalysis estimated $41 billion in illicit crypto volume globally, with 25% linked to hacking, extortion, trafficking, or scams. Notable incidents included $1.4 billion stolen from Bybit and over $1.3 billion taken by North Korean hackers.
