Bybit says its new AI-powered fraud detection engine prevented or disrupted more than $300 million in scam-linked crypto withdrawals in the fourth quarter of 2025. But unlike traditional hack recoveries, most of that money was never clawed back because it just never left.

The X account of scrap-metal billionaire and high-profile NFT investor Adam Weitsman was hacked Thursday and used to promote not one — but two — crypto scams, including a bogus forex trading course and a knockoff memecoin dubbed “Clawed Ape Yacht Club.”

US authorities have seized and frozen over $578 million in cryptocurrency linked to Chinese transnational criminal networks running scams that targeted US residents. The operations, often based in Southeast Asia, involved “pig butchering” schemes and trafficked workers, and investigators aim to forfeit the funds and return them to victims.

Crypto exploits fell by over 90% in February 2026, with total losses dropping to $35.7 million, the lowest monthly figure since March 2025. Most losses came from DeFi protocols, wallet compromises, and phishing attacks, though about $11.3 million was recovered or frozen.

A Florida man, Christopher Alexander Delgado, was arrested for allegedly running a $328 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme through his company, Goliath Ventures. Authorities say most of the money was used to pay earlier investors and fund his personal expenses, including luxury homes and lavish events.

Leading cryptocurrency exchange OKX has deepened its partnership with Chainalysis by integrating Alterya, an AI-powered fraud detection platform designed to stop scam-linked withdrawals before funds ever leave the exchange.

US federal agents in North Carolina seized more than $61 million in USDT linked to a crypto romance investment scam after tracing the money through multiple wallets with support from Homeland Security Investigations. Tether helped authorities freeze the funds, which are now subject to forfeiture.

A 42-year-old Sydney man has been charged over a crypto investment scam that allegedly stole A$5 million from more than 190 elderly and vulnerable Australians. Police say victims were approached on social media, directed to an online platform called NEXOpayment, and had their money moved through multiple crypto wallets in a pattern like money laundering.

Fake ads posing as Uniswap appeared at the top of search results and led users to cloned websites that drained their crypto wallets. The warning came after one user lost a mid-six-figure portfolio, prompting founder Hayden Adams to call out the ongoing failure to stop these scams.

French authorities have arrested six suspects, including one minor, following the kidnapping of a magistrate and her mother in a crypto ransom plot, according to French media reports. The incident underscores growing concerns about the rise in violent “wrench attacks,” where criminals physically assault or kidnap victims to extort cryptocurrency transfers.