Virtual asset phishing losses down 83% last year…"Attempts remain active"

Uk Jin

Summary

Last year, virtual asset phishing losses were reported at 83.85 million dollars, an 83% decrease from the previous year.
The number of victims also fell 68%, but phishing attack attempts continue to increase.
It reported the possibility of a renewed increase in phishing losses if the market becomes active, noted an increase in attacks targeting small amounts, and said the average loss per victim has decreased.

Over the past year, losses of virtual assets (cryptocurrencies) due to phishing attacks have fallen sharply. However, phishing attack attempts still showed an increasing trend.

On the 3rd (Korea time), crypto-focused outlet Cointelegraph, citing a report from Scam Sniffer, reported that total losses from virtual asset phishing attacks in 2025 plunged 83% year-on-year to 83.85 million dollars. The number of victims also fell 68% to 106.

The report, however, warned that phishing attacks could rise again if the market becomes active. Scam Sniffer said, "When the market is active, user activity increases, and the proportion of those harmed also rises," adding, "Phishing attacks increase in proportion to user activity." Monthly phishing losses were smallest in December, when the crypto market was in a slump, at 2.04 million dollars, while losses reached 12.17 million dollars in August, when positive developments such as Ethereum (ETH) reaching a record high occurred.

Large-scale phishing scams decreased, but attacks targeting small amounts tended to increase. In 2025, incidents with losses exceeding 1 million dollars fell 64% year-on-year to 11 cases. Meanwhile, the average loss per victim fell to 790 dollars, indicating an increase in attacks aimed at individual investors.

Scam Sniffer concluded the report with a warning: "The drainer ecosystem remains active, and when existing drainers are expelled, new drainers fill their place."