FBI, Chainalysis flag AI-driven crypto fraud as scam losses surge

AI tools are making crypto fraud easier to launch and harder to detect, according to new official reporting from the FBI and Chainalysis.

The FBI said its 2025 Internet Crime Report recorded more than $11 billion in cryptocurrency-related complaint losses. It also said AI-related complaints were included in the report for the first time, with 22,364 complaints and nearly $893 million in losses.

Chainalysis, in its 2026 crypto crime report, said $17 billion was stolen in crypto scams and fraud in 2025. The firm also found that scams linked to AI vendors were far more profitable, with average on-chain losses of $3.2 million per operation versus $719,000 for comparable scams without such links.

The World Economic Forum has also pointed to the problem, saying AI-related vulnerabilities were the fastest-growing cyber risk in 2025. Google Cloud separately said its Mandiant team observed fake AI-tool websites and ads being used to deliver malware and steal credentials.

Taken together, the reports show the same pattern: AI is reducing the cost and technical skill needed to run scams, while crypto rails give attackers a fast way to move stolen funds. That combination is turning AI-enabled fraud into a growing security problem for exchanges, investors and everyday users.

The practical takeaway is that more convincing phishing, impersonation and fake-platform attacks are now easier to produce at scale. For crypto users, that raises the importance of verifying links, wallet prompts and account messages before clicking or connecting funds.