Complaint Bulletin: An analysis of consumer complaints related to crypto-assets

"Crypto-assets are increasingly offered and marketed to consumers, including being incorporated into other products. Even large financial firms have begun offering and marketing crypto-asset custodial services to certain customers. As these offerings have increased, so too have consumers’ complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) related to crypto-assets.

This report analyzes complaints related to crypto-assets submitted to the CFPB. This report finds that fraud, theft, hacks, and scams are a significant problem in crypto-asset markets, as are transaction problems, including frozen accounts and inability to access assets.

FULL REPORT

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Crypto-Assets 

Reports show scammers cashing in on crypto craze

"From Super Bowl ads to Bitcoin ATMs, cryptocurrency seems to be everywhere lately. Although it’s yet to become a mainstream payment method, reports to the FTC show it’s an alarmingly common method for scammers to get peoples’ money. Since the start of 2021, more than 46,000 people have reported losing over $1 billion in crypto to scams^[1] – that’s about one out of every four dollars reported lost,^[2] more than any other payment method. The median individual reported loss? A whopping $2,600. The top cryptocurrencies people said they used to pay scammers were Bitcoin (70%), Tether (10%), and Ether (9%).^[3]  

Crypto has several features that are attractive to scammers, which may help to explain why the reported losses in 2021 were nearly sixty times what they were in 2018. There’s no bank or other centralized authority to flag suspicious transactions and attempt to stop fraud before it happens. Crypto transfers can’t be reversed – once the money’s gone, there’s no getting it back. And most people are still unfamiliar with how crypto works. These considerations are not unique to crypto transactions, but they all play into the hands of scammers.

Reports point to social media and crypto as a combustible combination for fraud. Nearly half the people who reported losing crypto to a scam since 2021 said it started with an ad, post, or message on a social media platform..."
Crypto fraud 

Libra: A Facebook-led Cryptocurrency Initiative

"On June 18, 2019, Facebook announced that, with 28 other members, it had founded the Libra Association, which planned to launch a new cryptocurrency, called Libra. The association released a white paper that outlined the characteristics of Libra and described its goal of creating a cryptocurrency that would overcome some of the challenges faced by other cryptocurrencies and deliver the possible benefits of the technology on a large scale.

President Trump and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin raised concerns about the Libra project, as did several Members of Congress during Senate Banking Committee and House Financial Services hearings, although some Members were more welcoming of efforts to advance financial innovation. The House Financial Services Committee majority has drafted legislation that would effectively block the Libra project..."
Libra and Cryptocurrency