Texans forked over nearly $739 million to cryptocurrency-related scams in 2024, according to a warning this week from the FBI’s Dallas office. The agency is urging residents to treat unsolicited investment pitches, romance-style "pig butchering" schemes, fake job offers and tech-support calls that demand crypto as bright-red warning signs.
IC3 data show a steep climb
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, logged 149,686 complaints that referenced cryptocurrency in 2024 and estimated $9.3 billion in crypto-related losses nationwide. Tucked into the state-by-state breakdown is Texas, with reported losses of $738,583,341, a reminder that the problem is not just theoretical for local investors.
Those totals and trends are laid out in the IC3 annual report, which reflects complaints submitted to the federal portal over the course of the year.
Scams range from fake investments to romance cons
According to the FBI, scammers often play the long game, building trust over weeks or months before steering victims toward sham trading platforms or wallets that lock away deposits and make it effectively impossible to get the money back. The bureau highlights unsolicited crypto investment opportunities, romance-style "pig butchering" cons, bogus job offers and tech-support calls that insist on cryptocurrency as key red flags.
Reporting and coverage note that romance-based ploys are a recurring tactic within these schemes, often blending emotional manipulation with the promise of high crypto returns.
