Core Insights - 2025 is reported as the worst year for crypto crime, with losses potentially exceeding $17 billion due to a surge in scams and hacks [2][3] - Chainalysis estimates that cryptocurrency scams received at least $14 billion on-chain in 2025, a significant increase from the previous year's reported figures [2] - The average value of scam payments rose dramatically from $782 in 2024 to $2,764 in 2025, marking a year-over-year increase of approximately 253% [4] Scam Trends - Impersonation scams have seen a staggering increase of nearly 1,400% year-over-year, posing a significant threat to unsuspecting users [5][6] - The average severity of payments made to impersonation scam victims increased by over 600%, indicating a rise in the financial impact of these scams [6] - High-yield investment programs (HYIP) and "pig butchering" schemes remain the dominant categories of scams by volume, but scammers are increasingly using advanced tools and techniques [7]