AMLBot has published a report based on more than 250 crypto crime investigations, finding that individual users were targeted in 77% of cases.
Blockchain analytics and crypto compliance firm AMLBot has released its Crypto Investigations Report 2026, based on more than 250 investigations carried out in 2026 and covering USD 291.6 million in reported losses. Most of the cases were brought directly by victims, meaning the data includes incidents that public hack trackers may not capture. According to the report, individual users were the target in 77% of cases, and the median loss among those who sought an investigation was USD 151,000.
Phishing is most common, hacks cost more
Phishing, wallet takeovers, and scams accounted for 72% of the cases AMLBot handled between January and September 2026. Hacks were less frequent but far more costly: in the third quarter of 2026, the average hack caused as much damage as six phishing attacks.
The findings point to a split between the frequency and severity of crypto crime. Individuals mainly face social engineering and scams, while hacks, although rarer, produce much larger losses per incident. The report also finds that organised scam networks are expanding beyond Southeast Asia, with operations reported in Sri Lanka, the UAE, and parts of Africa.
Business exposure to hacks
Hacks are also the main risk for businesses. According to the report, hacks and exploits accounted for 57% of the business cases AMLBot investigated, with the typical business victim losing USD 277,000. For crypto businesses, this places technical security alongside customer fraud as a central compliance concern.
Operating since 2019, AMLBot provides AML wallet screening, real-time transaction monitoring, KYC and KYB verification, blockchain investigations, and crypto asset recovery, and works with more than 1,000 crypto businesses as well as financial institutions and law enforcement agencies. The findings reflect the cases brought to AMLBot rather than the crypto market as a whole, but because they come largely from victims rather than public disclosures, they offer a view of losses that often go unreported.
