Record $17 Billion Estimated Stolen in Crypto Scams and Fraud in 2025 as Impersonation Tactics and AI Enablement Surge

Chainalysis’ 2025 crypto crime overview documents an industrialized global scam ecosystem that funneled at least $14B on-chain (projected toward $17B), driven by explosive growth in impersonation scams (1400% YoY), AI-enabled fraud (4.5x more profitable), phishing-as-a-service, pig-butchering, stealer malware/RATs, and complex laundering via CMLNs and DeFi; it highlights strong ties to East and Southeast Asian criminal networks and forced-labor scam compounds while noting major law enforcement disruptions including a 61,000 BTC recovery and actions linked to $15B in illicit proceeds.