Crypto criminals steal over $10bn to date
Crypto criminals have stolen more than $10 billion to date, despite crypto crime slowing down, a new report said on Monday. According to data presented by AltIndex.com, crypto scammers and hackers stole more than $3.5 billion of cryptos in 2022.
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New Delhi Crypto criminals have stolen more than $10 billion to date, despite crypto crime slowing down, a new report said on Monday. According to data presented by AltIndex.com, crypto scammers and hackers stole more than $3.5 billion of cryptos in 2022.
Cryptocurrency heists took off in the last six years, going from only 15 hacks reported in 2017 to 136 in 2021, according to Comparitech data.
During this time, the total value of stolen cryptos increased eight times, from approximately $324 million to a staggering $2.7 billion.
Crypto security threats cost nearly $730 million in August 2021 alone. An individual stole $610 million of this total in a Poly Network heist, which ended up being the second-largest crypto hack.
However, crypto crime skyrocketed last year, with crypto scammers and hackers stealing more money than in 2019, 2020, and 2021 combined.
Moreover, the report showed that the year 2022 saw 192 crypto heists, the highest number in the crypto market’s history, while hackers stole a whopping $3.54 billion of investor funds.
Fortunately, the concerning trend slowed in 2023, with crypto criminals stealing approximately $905 million in eight months, or less than one-third of the value seen in the same period the previous year.
