FBI 2024 Crypto Assets Fraud Report Interpretation

In April 2025, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released the "2024 Crypto Assets Fraud Report." This report is based on data collected last year by the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and provides an in-depth analysis of various aspects of complaints related to Crypto Assets, including the number of complaints, scale of losses, characteristics of victims, types of crimes, and asset recovery status. This article will provide a detailed interpretation of the core content of the report, helping readers quickly grasp trend changes and enhance their awareness and prevention capabilities against complex cybersecurity threats.

Overview of Complaint Data for 2024

Overall Situation

In 2024, the Cybercrime Reporting Center received a total of 859,532 complaints, resulting in actual losses of $16.6 billion, an increase of 33% compared to the previous year. Among these, 256,256 complaints involved actual financial losses, with an average loss of approximately $19,372 per incident. Cyber fraud accounted for about 83% of the losses.

Crypto Assets related situation

Complaints related to Crypto Assets reached 149,686, resulting in a loss of $9.3 billion, with the loss amount increasing by 66% year-on-year. Among the victims, the group aged over 60 accounted for the highest proportion.

population aged 60 and above

This age group submitted 147,127 complaints, reporting losses of $4.885 billion. The number of complaints increased by 46% year-on-year, and the loss amount increased by 43% year-on-year. Among them, 7,500 people reported losses exceeding $100,000, with an average loss of $83,000.

Victim Group Analysis

Overall Age Distribution

• Under 20 years old: 17,993 complaints, a loss of $22.5 million
• Age 20-29: 71,399 complaints, losses of $540.1 million
• Ages 30-39: 108,899 complaints, losses of 1.4 billion USD
• Age 40-49: 112,755 complaints, losses of 2.2 billion US dollars
• Ages 50-59: 84,540 complaints, $2.5 billion in losses
• Over 60 years old: 147,127 complaints, losses of 4.8 billion dollars

Crypto Assets victim group

In cryptocurrency investment scams, the group aged 60 and above has the highest number of complaints (8,043), with losses amounting to 1.6 billion dollars, far exceeding other age groups. This group has become a primary target for scammers due to a lack of awareness about fraud prevention and unfamiliarity with new payment methods such as cryptocurrency ATMs. In cryptocurrency ATM scams, the group aged 60 and above submitted 2,674 complaints, with losses totaling 107,206,251 dollars. Additionally, this group also has the highest number of complaints in extortion/sexual extortion cases, totaling 20,445, with losses amounting to 724,288,735 dollars.

Crime Type Analysis

Complaint Quantity Ranking

1. Phishing/Electronic Deception: 193,407 cases
2. Ransom: starting from 86,415
3. Personal data breaches: 64,882 cases
4. Chargeback/Transaction Failure Fraud Cases: 49,572
5. Investment Fraud: 47,919 cases

Loss Amount Ranking

1. Investment fraud: $6.57 billion
2. Business Email Scams ( BEC ): $2.77 billion
3. Technical Support Scam: $1.46 billion
4. Personal data leakage: $1.45 billion
5. Chargeback/Transaction Failure Fraud: $785 million

Crypto Assets related crimes

The most complained types are extortion (47,054 cases) and investment fraud (41,557 cases). The types with the largest losses are investment fraud (5.8 billion USD) and personal data leakage (1.1 billion USD).

Main types of scams encountered by people aged 60 and above

The most common types of scams reported are phishing, tech support, ransomware, personal data leaks, and investment scams. The types of scams with the highest losses are investment scams, tech support, romance scams, business email scams (BEC), and personal data leaks.

Internet Fraud and Asset Recovery

overall situation of online fraud

In 2024, the Cyber Crime Reporting Center received 333,981 complaints of online fraud, resulting in a loss of $13.7 billion, accounting for 83% of the total losses for the year. The main transaction methods included Crypto Assets, wire transfers, and credit card payments.

typical scam techniques

• Call center scams: 53,369 cases, losses of 1.9 billion USD
• Emergency Scam (Impersonating Relatives for Help): 357 cases, loss of 2.7 million USD
• Toll road fraud (SMS phishing): 59,271 cases, loss of $129,000
• Gold Express Fraud: 525 cases, losses of $219 million

Network Threats

Complaints related to network threats starting from 263,455 caused losses of $1.571 billion. The main ransomware variants include Akira, LockBit, RansomHub, FOG, and PLAY.

Asset Recovery Results

• The financial fraud rapid response team handled 3,020 freezing requests, freezing funds of $560 million, with a recovery success rate of 66%.
• "Operation Upgrade" successfully notified 4,323 Crypto Assets scam victims, helping to recover approximately $285 million in potential losses.
• Collaborated with Indian law enforcement to combat call center scams, arresting 215 people, an increase of 700% year-on-year.
• Successfully froze and recovered multiple large sums of money in financial fraud projects.

Suggestions to Prevent Crypto Assets Fraud

In response to the prevalent situation of Crypto Assets scams, law enforcement agencies have proposed the following prevention suggestions:

1. Stay vigilant and avoid the temptation of high returns: Investments promising high returns with zero risk are often scams.
2. Verify the legitimacy of the trading platform: Use legitimate, regulated exchanges and avoid clicking on unknown links in social media advertisements.
3. Avoid transferring money to strangers: Do not easily trust "investment mentors" or "friends" you meet online.
4. Beware of Crypto Assets ATM transactions: Scammers often ask victims to make payments through ATMs, so be sure to stay vigilant.
5. Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Enhance account security to prevent hacking.

Summary

The "2024 Crypto Assets Fraud Report" reveals new trends in cybercrime in the current crypto assets environment: cases related to cryptocurrencies have significantly increased, with the elderly population aged 60 and above becoming the primary victims; the methods of fraud are highly specialized and internationalized, and at the same time, cryptocurrencies have become the preferred tools for criminals to launder and transfer funds.

Although there has been some progress in asset recovery and international law enforcement cooperation, from the overall scale of losses and growth trends, ordinary users still need to remain highly vigilant, effectively enhance their awareness of safety precautions, and avoid falling into various scam traps. For governments and financial institutions, continuously strengthening international cooperation, regulatory enforcement, and tracking the flow of funds will be key measures to curb cybercrime and improve the efficiency of law enforcement.