How Crypto Scams Really Work in 2025: Forensics Expert Reveals What Victims Don’t Know

⚠️ WARNING: The biggest threat after a crypto scam is getting robbed a second time.

In 2025, crypto scams are more organized, technical, and psychologically targeted than ever before. But here’s what most victims don’t know:

Scammers often install malware, steal your ID/KYC, and may continue targeting you long after the initial theft. This means your identity, your devices, and even your bank accounts may still be at risk.

In this critical interview, crypto tax attorney Clinton Donnelly speaks with Joseph Albiñana, a senior blockchain investigator at CoinStructive, to expose how pig-butchering scams, romance scams, investment frauds, and “recovery scams” actually work and how victims can protect themselves.

👤 Meet the Expert: Joseph Albiñana (CoinStructive)

Joseph is a senior blockchain investigator at CoinStructive, specializing in:
- Tracing stolen digital assets
- Scam investigations
- Forensic reporting for attorneys & law enforcement
- Identifying hidden wallets in divorce cases
- Analyzing complex laundering flows (mixers, bots, peel chains, bridges)

He also contributes to online scam-awareness communities (including Reddit’s scam forums) and plays a key role in CoinStructive’s investigative operations.

🎟️ Use promo code CRYPTOTAXAUDIT50 and get 50% off your first purchase today.

🔗 PathTracer 👉 https://www.pathtracer.io/

🔗 CoinStructive 👉 https://coinstructive.com/

🔗 Crypto Recovery Alliance 👉 https://www.cryptorecoveryalliance.org/

🔗 LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-albi%C3%B1ana-40576628/

📌 What You’ll Learn:
❌ The “Crypto Recovery” Scam: Why 99% of online recovery services are scams and how they rob victims twice.

🛑 Identity Risk: How scammers install malware, steal KYC documents, and turn victims into money mules.

💰 Tax Deduction Help: How to deduct stolen crypto as an investment loss (and the documents you need).

🧾 Need tax help after a crypto scam?

Most victims don’t realize they can deduct the amount they actually invested as an investment loss on their tax return.
This requires documentation — and Clinton’s team can help you prepare it correctly.

👉 https://www.cryptotaxaudit.com/crypto-tax-consultation

Plus:
• Why you MUST report losses to the FBI (IC3)
• How global scam rings operate with industrial precision
• Why smart, wealthy people (even PhDs) still fall victim
• How forensic analysts legally track stolen assets
• How hidden wallets are uncovered in divorce cases
• How PathTracer determines if stolen crypto is traceable
• What victims should never do after being scammed
• Why law enforcement is overwhelmed — and how private investigators fill the gap

🕐 Timestamps
00:00 Scams exploding: romance scams, pig-butchering, FBI Cambodian sting
02:35 Social engineering attacks + technical device hacks
03:36 Lonely victims, romance scams, emotional manipulation
05:20 Increasing interconnectivity = more isolation
05:48 Real case: PhD couple loses retirement in investment scam
07:15 How blockchain forensics firms help scam victims
10:36 Rise of crypto divorce cases & hidden asset tracing
12:50 How hidden wallets are discovered (bank records, devices, seed phrase artifacts)
13:55 Why people try to hide crypto in divorces
15:23 Manual tracing → mixers, bots, peel chains make it harder
17:00 How PathTracer screens cases & saves costs
19:20 Tax deductions for scam victims (investment loss rules)
21:00 How to properly document a scam for the IRS + FBI IC3
22:49 IRS rules: investment vs personal loss explained
25:05 Malware, identity theft & money mule risks
26:35 Why victims must report to avoid future legal trouble
28:20 Choosing a legitimate forensic service (red flags)
29:05 CoinStructive’s nonprofit for low-income victims

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