According to CoinMeta, in 2025, losses in the United States due to "pork slaughter" scams ( crypto investment fraud ) reached $7.2 billion, making it the largest single category of loss. Meanwhile, losses related to the broader description of "cryptocurrencies as a means of payment" amounted to $11.37 billion, a year-on-year increase of 22%. The report details the payment scheme used in these scams, including the use of "mule" accounts opened under rented identities, legitimate processors purchasing USDT or BTC cards, as well as the use of victims' own KYC documents to open accounts on real exchanges.