Research Finds Blackmail Leads in $20B Bitcoin Scams

The
cryptocurrency world isn’t with out its pitfalls. Whereas solely a small fraction
of crypto transactions are linked to illicit actions, the affect on
particular person traders could be devastating. A brand new research by Coin Kickoff
sheds gentle on the commonest sorts of Bitcoin scams, exhibiting that blackmail
leads the pack. The typical worth of BTC acquired by scammers within the first half
of 2023 reached a whopping

In 2022, a
mere 0.24% of all cryptocurrency transactions have been related to unlawful
actions. Though this share decreased from 1.9% in 2019, it nonetheless
represents a major $20.1 billion. The research additionally highlights that the
variety of reported scammers has practically halved from 23,799 in 2021 to 12,354 in
2022. Over the past quarter, the hackers’ exercise additionally fell. Nonetheless, the
monetary affect stays excessive, with Bitcoin scammers receiving a mean of
$1,664,899 within the first half of 2023 alone.

Probably the most
frequent scams that may empty your crypto pockets are blackmail, sextortion, and
ransomware. Blackmail scams typically contain threats to launch private knowledge or
embarrassing photographs until a crypto fee is made. Sextortion scams prey on
youthful victims, tricking them into sharing express content material after which demanding
fee. Ransomware assaults lock up the sufferer’s knowledge and demand cryptocurrency
for its launch.

You may
discover the remainder of the article beneath the infographic:

“Do
your homework,” suggests Dr. Marc Tomljanovich from Lombardo Faculty of
Enterprise, quoted within the research. “I strongly recommend that traders step
away from social media to get these data sources, and solely come again
as soon as they really feel nicely knowledgeable.”

The categories
of scams evolve over time. Whereas blackmail has been probably the most reported rip-off
since 2018, ransomware scams are presently main the pack in 2023. Funding
scams have additionally seen a decline as folks turn into extra conscious of the dangers
concerned. Nonetheless, giveaway scams have gained traction, typically involving
scammers posing as celebrities to lure victims.

The Monetary Affect of Crypto
Scams

The overall
worth acquired by Bitcoin scammers peaked at $55.04 billion in 2021. This peak
could have been influenced by the increase in decentralized finance (DeFi)
transactions and associated crimes. Nonetheless, there was a decline in
funding scams as regulation enforcement begins to meet up with developments in
crypto expertise.

One other
report revealed by Comparitech on the finish of August confirmed that
traders misplaced over $20 billion attributable to rug pulls, monetary pyramids, and different
cryptocurrency scams.

You may
discover the remainder of the article beneath the infographic:

Whereas the
share of cryptocurrency transactions linked to scams could appear small, the
monetary and emotional toll on particular person victims is important. Consciousness
and warning are the primary steps in defending your self from turning into one other
statistic within the rising listing of crypto rip-off victims.

“Crypto
scams are an costly and generally life-ruining nuisance that largely relies upon
on the foibles of human nature, be it the willingness to click on an attractive hyperlink
on social media or to belief an ‘investor’ who you by no means hear again from,”
the authors of the report concluded.

We do not
must look far for examples of such people. Finance Magnates
lately reported on a crypto kingpin sentenced to over a decade in jail
after operating a $100 million Ponzi scheme for years. His actions had a
detrimental affect on the financial savings of 1000’s of particular person traders.

Coin
Kickoff analyzed 251,806 abuse experiences sourced from chainabuse.com. These
experiences have been related to 87,722 distinctive blockchain addresses. After
eliminating redundant experiences submitted by the identical person about equivalent scams
linked to the identical blockchain handle, the research targeted on 232,455 distinctive
abuse experiences spanning from 2018 to June 2023.

The
cryptocurrency world isn’t with out its pitfalls. Whereas solely a small fraction
of crypto transactions are linked to illicit actions, the affect on
particular person traders could be devastating. A brand new research by Coin Kickoff
sheds gentle on the commonest sorts of Bitcoin scams, exhibiting that blackmail
leads the pack. The typical worth of BTC acquired by scammers within the first half
of 2023 reached a whopping

In 2022, a
mere 0.24% of all cryptocurrency transactions have been related to unlawful
actions. Though this share decreased from 1.9% in 2019, it nonetheless
represents a major $20.1 billion. The research additionally highlights that the
variety of reported scammers has practically halved from 23,799 in 2021 to 12,354 in
2022. Over the past quarter, the hackers’ exercise additionally fell. Nonetheless, the
monetary affect stays excessive, with Bitcoin scammers receiving a mean of
$1,664,899 within the first half of 2023 alone.

Probably the most
frequent scams that may empty your crypto pockets are blackmail, sextortion, and
ransomware. Blackmail scams typically contain threats to launch private knowledge or
embarrassing photographs until a crypto fee is made. Sextortion scams prey on
youthful victims, tricking them into sharing express content material after which demanding
fee. Ransomware assaults lock up the sufferer’s knowledge and demand cryptocurrency
for its launch.

You may
discover the remainder of the article beneath the infographic:

“Do
your homework,” suggests Dr. Marc Tomljanovich from Lombardo Faculty of
Enterprise, quoted within the research. “I strongly recommend that traders step
away from social media to get these data sources, and solely come again
as soon as they really feel nicely knowledgeable.”

The categories
of scams evolve over time. Whereas blackmail has been probably the most reported rip-off
since 2018, ransomware scams are presently main the pack in 2023. Funding
scams have additionally seen a decline as folks turn into extra conscious of the dangers
concerned. Nonetheless, giveaway scams have gained traction, typically involving
scammers posing as celebrities to lure victims.

The Monetary Affect of Crypto
Scams

The overall
worth acquired by Bitcoin scammers peaked at $55.04 billion in 2021. This peak
could have been influenced by the increase in decentralized finance (DeFi)
transactions and associated crimes. Nonetheless, there was a decline in
funding scams as regulation enforcement begins to meet up with developments in
crypto expertise.

One other
report revealed by Comparitech on the finish of August confirmed that
traders misplaced over $20 billion attributable to rug pulls, monetary pyramids, and different
cryptocurrency scams.

You may
discover the remainder of the article beneath the infographic:

Whereas the
share of cryptocurrency transactions linked to scams could appear small, the
monetary and emotional toll on particular person victims is important. Consciousness
and warning are the primary steps in defending your self from turning into one other
statistic within the rising listing of crypto rip-off victims.

“Crypto
scams are an costly and generally life-ruining nuisance that largely relies upon
on the foibles of human nature, be it the willingness to click on an attractive hyperlink
on social media or to belief an ‘investor’ who you by no means hear again from,”
the authors of the report concluded.

We do not
must look far for examples of such people. Finance Magnates
lately reported on a crypto kingpin sentenced to over a decade in jail
after operating a $100 million Ponzi scheme for years. His actions had a
detrimental affect on the financial savings of 1000’s of particular person traders.

Coin
Kickoff analyzed 251,806 abuse experiences sourced from chainabuse.com. These
experiences have been related to 87,722 distinctive blockchain addresses. After
eliminating redundant experiences submitted by the identical person about equivalent scams
linked to the identical blockchain handle, the research targeted on 232,455 distinctive
abuse experiences spanning from 2018 to June 2023.

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