In 2025 the number of cryptocurrency thefts increased by 169%

Key points:

• Since February, the number of thefts and physical attacks related to cryptocurrencies has increased by 169%, with 48 incidents reported in 2025.
• The victims include ordinary иitcoin holders and company executives.
• Security experts noted that despite the increase in threats, practices for storing cryptocurrency independently have also improved significantly.

Since the end of February, 35 new cases of attacks and thefts have been reported worldwide, which is 169% more than in six and a half months, according to a Forbes report. A total of 48 attacks were committed in 2025, which is 33% more than in the whole of 2024.

According to the archive maintained by James Lopp, the co-founder and security director of CASA, the most common victims are ordinary bitcoin holders, traders, and crypto company executives. France leads in the number of attacks, with 14 cases.

Data leaks and rising violence

Experts cite data leaks from exchanges and other platforms as one of the reasons for attacks on crypto owners. Once they have access to residential addresses, contact numbers, and asset information, cybercriminals begin tracking down investors for the purpose of theft and extortion. For example, the Coinbase exchange data leak in May resulted in a wave of attacks on crypto holders around the world.

One recent case occurred on September 6 in Cambridge, Canada, when a young man was kidnapped and forced at gunpoint to transfer funds to a crypto wallet. Although the victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the suspects, described as four dark-skinned men in a dark van, fled with the victim’s funds.

Expert opinion

James Lopp believes that the rise in the value of bitcoin is not entirely safe for its owners. In his opinion, as the asset becomes more valuable, more and more scammers appear who want to take it away. However, self-storage tools and best practices have also advanced significantly:

“We have greatly improved our security best practices over the years to counteract the savvier attackers. You trade off things like social engineering risk and poor key management risk for the risk that the custodian may fall victim to such attacks or losses.”

Lopp added that ETFs may be a safer alternative for some investors.

The expert advised avoiding public disclosure of information about your assets, especially on social media, and using strong passwords, seed phrases, and multi-signature wallets.