Crypto Scams Soar: $11 Billion Lost in 2025 as Address Poisoning Attacks Rise

Cryptocurrency scams have reached epidemic levels, with the FBI reporting over $11 billion in losses from 181,565 complaints in 2025. According to Chainalysis, crypto scam payments rose 253% year-over-year, with the average payment increasing from $782 to $2,764 per transaction.

One of the most common scam techniques is address poisoning, where attackers send small transactions from addresses that closely match a victim's previously used addresses. This exploits users' copy-and-paste habits, and even experienced users can fall prey to this tactic.

To combat these scams, free databases like Bitcoin Abuse and Scam Alert have been created. These platforms aggregate scam reports filed against specific Bitcoin addresses, showing report counts and transaction history. By cross-referencing results from both databases, users can get a more comprehensive picture of an address's safety.