The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reported a considerable peak in cyber crime activity, with total losses throughout the country that reached $ 16.6 billion in 2024, according to the last annual report.
This figure stems from more than 859,000 complaints that have been submitted to the internet crime complaints center (IC3).
One of the most worrying findings was the dramatic increase in cryptocurrency-related scam, which were good for $ 9.3 billion in reported losses. This almost doubles the $ 5.6 billion registered in the previous year and was driven by nearly 150,000 complaints.
B. Chad Yarbrough, operational director of the Criminal and Cyber Division of the FBI, warned that cryptocurrencies have become a central element in modern digital deception, allowing fraudsters to obscure the transactions and design detection.
Investment and ATM – rise to scams
Crypto-investment swivel, in particular those used of the tactics of “pig impact”, were the most important contributors to the crypto-related losses of last year.
This scam includes bad actors who develop fake emotional relationships with victims before being persuaded to invest in fraudulent crypto platforms. Losing these schedules alone amounted to around $ 5.8 billion in 2024.
Another disturbing trend was cyber criminals with the help of crypto -money machines and QR codes in scams with technical support and fake representatives of the government. These schedules generated another $ 247 million in losses by misleading victims to transfer crypto funds directly to scammers.
According to the report, this scams are often designed to look legitimate, making it easier to mislead victims to transfer their money.
Crypto – -that focuses on the elderly
In the meantime, the report emphasized a disturbing pattern of crypto -wamper aimed at older Americans.
Victims aged 60 and older submitted 33,369 crypto-related complaints in 2024, resulting in losses of more than $ 2.8 billion. This represents a loss percentage that is more than four times higher than the average for other online fraud cases.
On average, every senior victim lost around $ 83,000, considerably more than the average of $ 19,372 reported in all types of cyber crime.
To tackle this growing threat, the FBI has introduced various initiatives to protect vulnerable individuals.
One of these is an operational level, which is aimed at identifying and helping victims of crypto investment fraud. So far, it has helped in preventing or reclaiming around $ 285 million in losses.
Yarbrough said:
“We have worked proactively to prevent losses and minimize victim damage by collaboration in the private sector and initiatives such as Operation Level Up. We have dissolved fraud and the money laundering of syndicates, roaming callers, stitches illegal market places, dissolved fast ‘bonenets’ and hundreds of other actors behind the bars.”
