$12.7B Linked to Crypto Scams

NEWS / Crypto

FinCEN Flags $12.7 Billion Tied to Digital-Asset Investment Scams

Andre Savage
Published Sep 4, 2026
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Summary:

• Treasury’s FinCEN says roughly $12.7 billion in U.S.-reported activity was linked to suspected crypto investment scams in materials published on September 3, 2026.
• The tally comes from 33,904 Bank Secrecy Act filings from Sept. 8, 2023 through Dec. 31, 2025, with as many as 96% of the reports coming from depository institutions.
• FinCEN says transnational organized crime groups in Southeast Asia run many of these schemes and urges banks and crypto firms to share data voluntarily under Section 314(b) of the USA PATRIOT Act.

What FinCEN found

FinCEN, a bureau within the U.S. Treasury, identified about $12.7 billion in activity institutions tied to suspected digital-asset investment scams. That figure is based on 33,904 Bank Secrecy Act filings submitted between Sept. 8, 2023 and Dec. 31, 2025. The agency emphasized this is not a ledger of confirmed victim losses because the dataset can include attempted transactions, duplicate reports, two-way transfers, and later amendments

Filings largely came from money services businesses closely linked to the digital-asset industry, while as many as 96% of all reports originated from depository institutions. On average, monthly filing counts rose 10.9% and dollar amounts climbed roughly 18%. FinCEN attributed the increase in reporting to an expanded vocabulary used in alerts, cautioning that this should not be taken as evidence that scam activity itself is rising. Victims were identified across all 50 states and some U.S. territories.

How the scams operate and where they connect

FinCEN says a significant share of the schemes are operated out of Southeast Asia by transnational organized crime groups, using a service-for-hire model. Operators rely on “guarantee marketplaces” to source everything from account creation and phishing services to professional money laundering. Laundering specialists create front companies and use mule bank accounts to shuttle funds through the financial system, including by using stablecoins to send money to exchanges outside the United States.

Other watchdogs are tracking similar patterns. In March, the FATF reported that, according to Chainalysis, stablecoins made up 84% of illicit virtual-asset transactions in 2025 and detailed how unhosted wallets and sophisticated laundering techniques obscure fund origins. In a FATF publication dated September 3 covering underground banking and hawala, the group documented the rise of “digital hawala,” in which brokers coordinate over encrypted apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal and settle balances with virtual assets, including stablecoins.

UNODC’s July assessment described a service-based crime economy in Southeast Asia where fraud, trafficking, and money laundering use the same infrastructure. For 2025, the assessment estimated scam-related harm in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand totaled between $88.3 billion and $114.1 billion. It further noted that individuals originating from no fewer than 80 nations and territories were present in scam compounds throughout the region.

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Enforcement pressure and tools

FinCEN’s analysis and alert ramp up pressure on crypto exchanges, stablecoin issuers, and regulators because illicit funds travel the same rails as legitimate customer money. The agency urged banks and crypto companies to look out for red flags and to share information voluntarily under Section 314(b). It also acknowledged the challenge of tightening cross-border controls without disrupting lawful crypto activity.

According to FinCEN, the Rapid Response Program allows the bureau to partner with overseas financial intelligence counterparts to pinpoint and recover fraudulent transactions. It also advised victims to report quickly to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The lingering question is how effective and fast such cooperation can be as criminals increasingly out

The human side and the wider picture

Performing the duties of Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Gene Lange said: “Digital asset investment scams pose one of the most significant fraud threats facing Americans today.” The organizations behind them “exploit both emerging technologies and human vulnerabilities.”

Court cases reveal how these networks touch real lives.

For your wallet, expect knock-on effects as compliance tightens: more transaction screening, closer checks for mule activity, and extra questions on certain transfers. That can influence how fast money moves and which tools platforms invest in to keep customer flows clean.

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