Americans Lost $11.366B to Crypto Scams in 2025

Americans reported $11.366 billion in losses to cryptocurrency scams in 2025, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported in its 2025 annual report. The agency logged 181,565 crypto-related complaints for the year, and crypto losses accounted for more than half of IC3’s $20.877 billion in total internet-crime losses.

Investment scams were the largest category, with roughly $7.2 billion reported across about 61,559 complaints, a 25% increase from 2024. Kiosk-related fraud — cases involving Bitcoin ATMs and similar machines — produced $389 million in losses across 13,460 complaints, a 58% rise year over year.

Older adults bore a large share of kiosk losses. Victims aged 60 and older reported $257.4 million in kiosk-related losses from 6,188 complaints, about two-thirds of the total kiosk amount.

Local authorities and state officials have taken legal and regulatory actions tied to kiosk fraud. Spokane, Washington, adopted a citywide ban on crypto ATMs that took effect in June 2025 after local law enforcement reported a stream of cases involving large losses. Spokane Valley approved a ban in May 2026, citing documented incidents of serious financial harm and one confirmed suicide linked to kiosk-related scams. In Washington, D.C., the attorney general filed a lawsuit against operator Athena Bitcoin Inc. on Sept. 8, 2025, alleging that 93% of deposits at the company’s seven local Bitcoin ATMs were linked to scams during the machines’ first five months, and that the operator charged undisclosed fees up to 26% and refused refunds.

Federal outreach programs have focused on stopping transfers before funds clear. Operation Level Up, an FBI prevention initiative launched in 2024, notified 3,780 potential victims in 2025 and is credited with preventing an estimated $225.9 million in losses that year. Since the program began, it has helped prevent more than $500 million in potential losses.

Security experts describe kiosk incidents as part of broader social-engineering schemes in which victims are persuaded over time to make urgent payments. Stefan Muehlbauer of blockchain security firm CertiK described the pattern of prolonged grooming that leads victims to use kiosks. Detective Tim Schwering, who handled local cases that informed Spokane’s decision, recalled seeing a steady flow of victims who were targeted via cryptocurrency machines.

The report noted the size of the kiosk footprint in the United States: about 30,433 Bitcoin ATMs were operating in mid-2025, providing many locations where scammers can direct victims to convert cash into irreversible cryptocurrency transfers. The FBI released the IC3 2025 Annual Report on April 6, 2026.