I just figured out the new FBI cybercrime report for 2025 — the numbers are simply shocking. The basic crime report shows losses exceeding $20 billion, with over a million complaints filed. Cryptocurrency scams accounted for $11.4 billion of that pie — almost 56% of all losses.

The most alarming part of this crime report is who becomes the victim. People over 60 suffered $2.76 billion in losses specifically from crypto scams. This is not just a number; these are people who entrusted their savings to fraudsters. They become targets because they are less familiar with crypto ATMs, QR codes, and new payment schemes.

But what’s truly insidious is the so-called recovery scams, where a victim has already been deceived once, and then “rescuers” come promising to return the money. This category of losses for seniors amounted to $5.4 billion. It’s secondary fraud, and it works because people are already in a state of panic.

Overall crime statistics by type show phishing in first place (191 thousand complaints), but investment fraud takes more money — $8.6 billion. Tech support/customer service scams account for another $2.1 billion. All these are classic schemes that have been working for years.

Now, about the main trend — AI. The FBI recorded over 22,000 complaints related to the use of artificial intelligence in scams. Losses from these amounted to $893 million. It’s not just a tool; it’s a significant leap in the scalability of fraud. Deepfake voice impersonations, synthesized videos with celebrities, CEO-style emails — all of this can now be created by one person in a few minutes.

In investment scams using AI, losses totaled $632 million. Imagine: a fake video of a well-known investor, a convincing letter, a personalized message just for you. The entry barrier for criminals has dropped dramatically.

By types of cyber threats, data leaks lead at (39%), and ransomware at (36%). The FBI named the main malware variants: Akira, Qilin, BianLian, Play. These guys are serious; losses from a single ransomware incident can reach millions.

A positive note — law enforcement has achieved results. Through FFKC, they froze $679 million in 3,900 cases. In the Level Up operation, they warned over 8,000 potential victims and saved them $500 million. Joint operations with India resulted in 475 arrests in the fight against call center scams.

What does all this mean? First, cryptocurrencies remain the main channel for money laundering and transfers. Second, fraud is becoming industrialized — these are no longer random schemes but refined operations. Third, AI has turned all this into an automated process. And fourth, seniors are not just a vulnerable group; they are a target audience that criminals have studied and exploit systematically.

For ordinary people, the simple takeaway: develop skills to recognize scams, be skeptical of unexpected offers, verify information through independent channels. For companies and regulators — it’s time to seriously focus on detecting suspicious fund flows and behavioral anomalies at the technical level. This crime report shows that the problem will not disappear on its own.