Consumers reported they have lost over $1 billion in crypto-linked fraud from January 2021 through March of this year, according to an analysis from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The median amount lost was $2,600, said the U.S. regulator, citing 46,000 people who have reported being defrauded. The top three cryptocurrencies consumers said they used to pay “scammers” were Bitcoin (BTC) at 70%, Tether (USDT) at 10% and Ether (ETH) at 9%.
“Cryptocurrency is quickly becoming the payment of choice for many scammers,” said the FTC, noting about one in every four dollars lost to fraud involves crypto.
The majority of the scams involve bogus investment schemes, with romance scams and business/government impersonation frauds rounding out the top three.
Those aged 20-49 were more than three times as likely to report losing money in a fraud as those in older age groups.
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