The widespread use of AI tools has contributed to the increase in the scale of cryptocurrency scams, with scams becoming more scalable and personalized.

January 14 – A Forbes report notes that by 2025, cryptocurrency scams have grown into a massive criminal industry with an annual volume of at least $14 billion. This surge is largely driven by widespread AI tool adoption, which lets scammers create fake identities more efficiently, produce more convincing deepfake scam content, and significantly boost average earnings per scam. Stats show AI-equipped scam gangs defraud victims of an average $3.2 million per successful scam, while non-AI gangs net just $719,000 per scam—4.5 times less than their AI-powered counterparts. In 2025’s prevalent piggyback scams, criminal groups first build emotional connections with victims or pose as investment advisors on social platforms. They then lure victims to fake crypto trading platforms before absconding with their funds. AI has made these scams more scalable and personalized, sharply increasing both success rates and the total sums involved.