New Reports Highlight Crypto Scams and Hacks Resulting in Over $4 Billion Loss in 2025
A recent report reveals a significant rise in cryptocurrency scams and hacks, leading to substantial financial losses, with a strong focus on targeted phishing attacks.
Crypto-related scams and hacks have resulted in losses exceeding $4.04 billion for users and platforms in 2025, as reported by blockchain security firm PeckShield.
Losses have jumped by 64% year-over-year, with tailored phishing and impersonation schemes particularly targeting high-value individuals.
Key Findings on Scams and Centralized Attacks
PeckShield’s report indicates that crypto losses in 2025 rose about 34% from the previous year, with $2.67 billion attributed to hacks and $1.37 billion to scams.
Notably, scam losses increased significantly, partly due to a rise in individual losses caused by sophisticated phishing attacks.
In total, over 200 hacking incidents were documented this year, with February recording the largest loss on record of $1.51 billion following a breach at Bybit, now recognized as the most substantial hack in the crypto sector. This attack has been linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group, known for utilizing malware and social engineering tactics.
PeckShield noted a shift in attackers’ focus; they began targeting more centralized exchanges and large organizations, accumulating 75% of stolen funds, compared to 46% in 2024.
Ethereum incurred the greatest financial losses due to their high-value targets, while the BNB Chain experienced the most incidents.
Looking Ahead
The report also discusses the laundering of stolen funds linked to significant exploits, reaching $1.49 billion in 2025, a 15% increase from the previous year, highlighting a troubling trend driven by larger thefts.
On a brighter note, about $334.9 million in stolen crypto was reclaimed or frozen by law enforcement and security companies, although this is a decline from the $488.5 million retrieved in 2024.
While there was a noticeable drop in exploit-related losses in December 2025, the start of the new year has already seen significant thefts, underscoring ongoing vulnerabilities in the crypto ecosystem.
This series of findings reinforces the notion that losses in 2025 were characterized by targeted assaults and social engineering, emphasizing the need for improved security measures in the cryptocurrency sector.
