Gen C
Gen C
CoinDesk
$17 Billion Stolen in One Year: The State of Crypto Crime with Chainalysis
27 minutes Posted Jun 16, 2026 at 3:30 pm.
Intro
Sam's intro: crypto crime by the numbers
Welcome Eric Jardine, Chainalysis
$17B+ stolen in crypto scams (2025)
Why are scams growing? Bull markets & victim pools
Impersonation scams up 1400% YoY
How impersonation scams work (IRS, Coinbase, deepfakes)
E-ZPass smishing — crypto settlement demands
Scam-as-a-service: $500 spoofed government websites
AI as a productivity boost for criminals
DPRK (Lazarus Group) vs. Southeast Asia scam compounds
Human trafficking & forced labor in scam operations
How to protect yourself
Jurisdictional challenges & enforcement gaps
Silk Road anniversary & crypto's illicit narrative
Is crypto actually worse than cash for crime?
Enforcement wins: 61K BTC recovered, $15B forfeiture
Closing Remarks
0:00
27:51
Download MP3
Show notes
Crypto scams and how to protect yourself with Chainalysis' Eric Jardine.
Eric Jardine, Head of Research at Chainalysis, joins Gen C to break down their latest crypto crime report and the staggering numbers of nearly $17 billion stolen in scams in 2025 alone. Eric explains how AI has changed the scam equation by allowing bad actors to hit massive scale without sacrificing quality, why the people executing scams in Southeast Asian compounds are often trafficking victims themselves, and why crypto's measurability is actually an argument in its favor and not against it.
Links mentioned from the podcast:
Chainalysis Website: https://www.chainalysis.com/
Crypto Crime Report: https://www.chainalysis.com/reports/crypto-crime-2026/
Timecodes:
-
"Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.