In the first half of 2024, crypto scammers stole nearly $60 million from 20 victims, according to Scam Sniffer’s data. Phishing scammers made over $300 million by targeting around 260,000 victims across EVM chains.
This period saw a 6.44% increase in phishing thefts compared to 2023, with one victim losing $11 million, making it the second-largest theft in crypto history. Scammers often exploit phishing signatures such as Permit, IncreaseAllowance, and Uniswap Permit2 to gain control over assets.
Most large thefts involved assets in Staking, Restaking, Aave Collateral, and Pendle tokens. Victims are typically lured through phishing comments from impersonated accounts on X, leading them to make unauthorized transactions.
Additionally, deepfake-related crypto fraud has surged, with losses exceeding $79.1 billion since 2022 and a 245% increase in 2024. Bitget predicts that quarterly losses from deepfake fraud could reach around $10 billion by 2025.
Understanding and addressing these vulnerabilities is crucial for the long-term security of the crypto industry.
