- More than 46,000 people say they lost over $1 billion in crypto to scams since the start of 2021, according to a report released by the Federal Trade Commission on Friday.
- Losses last year were nearly sixty times what they were in 2018, with a median individual loss of $2,600.
More than 46,000 people say they lost over $1 billion in crypto to scams since the start of 2021, according to a report released by the Federal Trade Commission on Friday.
Losses last year were nearly 60 times what they were in 2018, with a median individual loss of $2,600.
The FTC notes that the top cryptocurrencies people said they used to pay scammers were bitcoin (70%), tether (10%), and ether (9%).
One key feature of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin is that payment transfers are final and can’t be reversed. This isn’t always a good thing. Chargebacks — a type of tool designed to protect consumers — allow consumers to reverse a transaction if they claim they have been fraudulently charged for a good or service they did not receive.
Nearly half the people who reported losing crypto to a scam since 2021 said it started with some kind of message on a social media platform. The top platforms mentioned in these complaints were Instagram (32%), Facebook (26%), WhatsApp (9%), and Telegram (7%).
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/03/crypto-scams-cost-people-more-than-1-billion-since-2021-ftc.html