Scammers have used new tools to expand their reach and appear more realistic. According to TRM Labs, the use of large-scale language models in fraud will jump five times in 2025, helping scammers create believable messages, carry out many conversations at once, and deceive people in a variety of languages.
AI tools help scammers build trust
AI images, voice cloning and deepfakes are reducing the cost of creating fake people who look and sound authentic, the report says. These techniques have fostered a pattern in which criminals first make their targets feel safe and then demand money.
In some cases, romantic tactics are used to gain trust, which is later turned into bogus investment offers or bogus tax requests. This step-by-step approach allowed the scam to run over a longer period of time and obtain larger amounts of money from fewer victims.
Rise in industrial-scale fraud
Behind many of these schemes are groups that act like small businesses. They hire people, sell tools, and reuse scripts to run campaigns in different locations.
Some providers are now lowering the bar for new scammers by selling phishing kits and offering AI-as-a-service to automate messages and replies, making it easier to copy and spread scams.
Deepfake calls and targeted hacking
According to the report, attackers have also used fake video calls to trick cryptocurrency workers into installing malware. In some cases, victims were invited to regular Zoom meetings, but with AI-generated faces on the screen.
When the meeting said “patch needed”, the victim was actually prompted to install malicious software. These techniques have been linked to groups associated with North Korea and were flagged by security researchers last year.
Virtual currency price action appears in the story
While scams have become more sophisticated, the market has also evolved. Bitcoin was trading in a range of $88,000 to $90,000 in late January 2026 as investors weighed macro news and policy developments.
This market situation is important. As prices rise, the urgency and credibility of crypto fraud may become more real, increasing the risk for both victims and law enforcement.
Comparison of fraud proceeds and total illegal flows
Illicit inflows into crypto assets reached an all-time high of $158 billion, a significant increase due to increased scrutiny that brought more illegal activity to light.
Meanwhile, fraud-related wallet revenue will fall slightly to about $35 billion in 2025 from $38 billion a year ago.
However, the total amount of criminal activity increased significantly, even though the portion due to fraud increased slightly.
While fraud detection technology seems to be improving, fraud is also rapidly evolving. With the increasing use of AI-based tools, common advice has become less useful as scams sound more authentic.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
bitcoinist’s editorial process focuses on providing thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We adhere to strict sourcing standards, and each page is carefully reviewed by our team of top technology experts and experienced editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of your content to your readers.
