Why 2025 Was a 'Big Year for Scam Activity

TRM Labs' Ari Redbord joins CoinDesk to discuss how 2025’s record-breaking asset recovery efforts and blockchain transparency are countering a 500% surge in AI-driven crypto scams. TRM Labs, Ari Redbord joins CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie to dissect a transformative year for crypto security. While 2025 saw high-stakes exploits and a 500% surge in AI-enabled scams, it also marked one of the greatest years for asset recovery in history. Ari explains why he calls blockchains the “ultimate crime scene” and how global investigators are leveraging immutable ledgers to claw back billions from bad actors. Check out CoinDesk's research report on GoPlus Security at: https://www.coindesk.com/research/protocol-research-goplus-security - Timecodes: 00:46 - 2025: A Year of Maturity and Challenges 01:53 - The $53 Billion Scam Epidemic 03:14 - From Law Enforcement to National Security: The Government Response 05:47 - How Blockchain Solves Financial Crimes 07:43 - Education on Capitol Hill: Do Policymakers Finally "Get It"? 09:05 - The Crypto Paradox: How the DOJ Seizes Billions in Stolen Assets 10:41 - The AI Arms Race: 500% Increase in AI-Enabled Scams 12:46 - The Safe Crypto Act 14:35 - Will 2026 Be The Year of Execution? - This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie.