The most closely documented use of advanced AI around cryptocurrency is fraud, and the best public counts come from the FBI. Its 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report logged 22,364 complaints that mention artificial intelligence, with adjusted losses of USD 893,346,472, and separately 181,565 complaints involving cryptocurrency with USD 11.366 billion in losses. A November 13, 2024 alert from the US Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) explains how deepfake identity documents are used to open accounts that receive and move stolen money.
Key takeaways
- The FBI's 2025 IC3 annual report has a dedicated section on AI-related cybercrime, covering 22,364 complaints.
- Investment complaints with an AI link topped USD 632 million, against more than USD 8 billion lost to investment scams overall, so the AI share is probably understated.
- FinCEN reports that criminals use generative AI to alter or create identity documents and then use the accounts to receive and launder fraud proceeds.
- Tools that flag deepfakes are described by FinCEN as indicators, not proof; multifactor authentication and live verification checks are its suggested defenses.
- All figures come from complaints and reports filed by victims and institutions, so they show direction and scale, not exact totals.
What the FBI counted in 2025
The IC3 annual report covers complaints filed with the FBI's online reporting center by people in the United States. For 2025 it recorded 1,008,597 complaints and USD 20.877 billion in total losses, a 26 percent rise in losses from 2024. The table collects the crypto and AI lines that matter for this topic.
| Measure (2025) | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Complaints with a cryptocurrency link | 181,565 (21 percent more than 2024) |
| Losses in those complaints | USD 11.366 billion (22 percent more than 2024) |
| Average loss per crypto complaint | USD 62,604 |
| Crypto investment fraud | 61,559 complaints, USD 7.228 billion |
| Complaints referencing AI | 22,364, with adjusted losses of USD 893,346,472 |
| AI-linked investment complaints | Losses above USD 632 million |
| AI-linked business email compromise | Losses above USD 30 million |
| AI-linked romance and confidence scams | Losses above USD 19 million |
The report also breaks crypto losses down by age. Complainants aged 60 and older reported about USD 4.43 billion, the largest age group in the chart.
Why the AI figure is likely a floor
The AI category counts complaints in which the victim or the FBI's data included a reference to AI. A person who received a convincing message, voice, or video often has no way to know a model produced it. The report makes this point itself: investment complaints with an AI link passed USD 632 million, while all investment scams exceeded USD 8 billion, "demonstrating that many victims do not realize the extent AI may be involved." Readers should treat the AI total as the part that was noticed and reported, and should not read it as the share of fraud that uses AI.
The same caution applies to every number on this page. Complaint data depends on who files, and many victims never do. Neither the FBI report nor FinCEN's alert measures how much fraud exists; both describe what reached them.
How generative AI is used, according to the FBI
An FBI public service announcement dated December 3, 2024 (I-120324-PSA), titled "Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud," lists uses by type of content. For text, it names large batches of fake social media profiles, faster message writing, translation that removes the spelling mistakes that often give a scam away, and content for fake cryptocurrency and other investment websites. For images, it names realistic profile photos and forged identification documents. For audio, it names cloned voices of relatives. For video, it names live calls with a fake executive or official and promotional videos for investment fraud.
The FBI's advice in that notice is practical: agree on a secret word with family, hang up and call back on a number found independently, limit public images and voice recordings, and never send money, gift cards, or cryptocurrency to someone known only online or by phone. Victims are asked to report to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center with transaction details, including crypto addresses.
The institution side: FinCEN on deepfake identities
FinCEN Alert FIN-2024-Alert004 says suspicious activity reports describing deepfake media in fraud rose beginning in 2023 and continuing in 2024. Based on reports from financial institutions, it finds that criminals used generative AI to create falsified documents, photographs, and videos to get past customer identification and due diligence checks, and then used accounts opened this way to receive and launder the proceeds of other fraud. The alert gives institutions a set of red flags and asks them to cite the key term FIN-2024-DEEPFAKEFRAUD in suspicious activity reports.
The alert states plainly that no single indicator proves wrongdoing. The table lists several of its indicators in shortened form, as a sample of how an onboarding check is framed.
| Indicator named by FinCEN | What the alert says to do with it |
|---|---|
| Photo looks altered or does not match the stated birth date | Treat as a prompt for review of the identity documents |
| Identity photo matches an online gallery of AI-generated faces | Reverse image search can reveal this; escalate |
| Third-party webcam plugin or repeated technical glitches during a live check | Consider whether a pre-recorded video is being shown |
| Customer declines multifactor authentication | Weigh with other facts |
| New account with rapid payments, chargebacks, or payments to higher-risk payees such as digital asset exchanges or gambling sites | Review the account with other indicators in mind |
The suggested defenses are multifactor authentication, including phishing-resistant forms, and live verification in which the customer confirms identity by audio or video. FinCEN adds that illicit actors may still answer live prompts with synthetic audio or video, so these checks reduce risk and do not remove it. For a customer, the practical meaning is that identity checks may become more frequent and more detailed, and that a provider asking for them is following expected practice.
This page gives general information about fraud reporting and does not rate any token, platform, or strategy. It is not investment, legal, or tax advice, and it does not suggest that a particular digital asset is safe or unsafe. Anyone who suspects fraud can report it to the relevant authority listed in the sources and can ask a registered professional about their own situation.
FAQ
Does the FBI name a most advanced AI cryptocurrency?
No. Neither the IC3 report nor the December 2024 notice rates, names, or ranks tokens. They describe how criminals use AI tools and how much victims reported losing.
Are the AI losses in the IC3 report the total cost of AI-enabled fraud?
No. They cover complaints that referenced AI, and the report notes that many victims do not realize AI was involved. The real total is unknown.
Can software reliably detect a deepfake?
FinCEN lists detection software flags as one indicator among several and calls the indicators non-conclusive. It recommends layering several checks instead of relying on one.
Where is fraud reported in the United States?
The FBI's notice directs victims to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center and asks for dates, amounts, receiving institutions, and any crypto addresses. Canadian readers can report to Canada's national anti-fraud agency, the CAFC, through its online system and contact local police.
Related reading
- common pitfalls of cryptocurrency
- how AI is applied around crypto
- where crypto and AI overlap
- AI-themed altcoins explained
More in AI in finance.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Fraud reporting options, CAFC (Canada's national anti-fraud agency), 2026
- 2025 IC3 Annual Report, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2026
- Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud, FBI IC3, Public Service Announcement I-120324-PSA, December 3, 2024
- FinCEN Alert on Fraud Schemes Involving Deepfake Media Targeting Financial Institutions, FIN-2024-Alert004, US Department of the Treasury, November 13, 2024