Crypto crime in 2025 is on a record-breaking trajectory, with nearly $2 billion stolen in just six months — surpassing the total for 2023 and even outpacing all of 2024. If current trends continue, 2025 may overtake 2022 as the worst year on record for digital asset theft.
According to data from CryptoPresales.com, crypto thieves have made off with $1.93 billion year-to-date — a 10% increase over 2024’s full-year total and already 55% of 2022’s peak. The rapid rise highlights growing vulnerabilities in the digital asset space and an urgent need for stronger security protocols.
Stolen Amounts Rise Sharply While Number of Attacks Drops by 3x
Crypto crime is climbing again after a sharp drop in 2023 and a flat 2024. This trend is especially concerning considering tightened rules and enhanced blockchain tracking tools over the past two years. But despite these advancements, criminals continue to steal billions in cryptocurrencies.
Last year, crypto scammers and hackers stole $1.73 billion in 187 crypto heists, a modest decrease from $1.74 billion the year before. However, the figures skyrocketed in the first half of 2025, revealing an alarming trend; the number of attacks is falling, but crypto criminals are stealing more money than ever.
According to Comparitech data, which tracks crypto-related crime, there have been 53 reported cases over the past six months, three times less than in the entire 2024. However, the total amount of stolen money during this period has already outpaced 2024’s total. Statistics show that crypto criminals stole a shocking $1.93 billion year-to-date, or 10% more than in the entire last year. Nearly 90% of that value was stolen in just one scam. In February, Dubai-based centralized exchange Bybit was hit by an attack that stole record-breaking $1.46 billion from its ETH cold wallets. The attack, rumored to have been carried out by North Korea’s Lazarus Group, is the largest crypto crime on record.
Even more worrying is that if this trend continues, 2025 could easily become the worst year for crypto crime yet and break the infamous record set in 2022. That year alone, crypto criminals stole a shocking $3.45 billion.
Nearly 80% of All Stolen Crypto Taken in the Past Five Years
With $1.93 billion stolen year-to-date, the cumulative crypto theft climbed to shocking highs. Statistics show crypto criminals have stolen an eye-watering $14.7 billion year to date in 1,072 reported heists.
Even more shockingly, nearly 80% of all losses, or around $11.6 billion, happened in the last five years, with 2021 and 2022 still holding the record. In 2021 alone, crypto criminals stole over $2.7 billion, which soared to nearly $3.5 billion a year later. The Comparitech data also gave a shocking insight into the current value of all the stolen cryptos. If hackers had kept all the stolen cryptos and cashed them out today, they would have a fortune worth $52.7 billion.