"Crypto Scams Reach New Heights, FBI Reports $5.6bn in Losses"
"Crypto Scams Reach New Heights, FBI Reports $5.6bn in Losses"
With over 69,000 financial fraud and cryptocurrency complaints received by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2023, cryptocurrency losses totaled over $5.6 billion. Overall, cryptocurrency scam losses rose 45 percent since 2022. Losses from cryptocurrency-related investment fraud schemes increased from $2.57 billion in 2022 to $3.96 billion in 2023, a growth of 53 percent. Phishing scams made up more than $9 million in losses, and Business Email Compromise (BEC) connected to cryptocurrency saw losses of over $4 million.