PeckShield Data Reveals Hackers’ Pivot to High-Value Targets, Driving August Thefts to $163M

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A new report from PeckShield highlights a significant evolution in crypto crime tactics. While year-over-year losses are down 47%, August saw a 15% monthly increase to $163 million in stolen funds.

The driving force behind this uptick is a clear strategic shift: hackers are moving away from broad, technical exploits toward precision social engineering attacks on high-value targets.

This new strategy is exemplified by two major incidents, most notably a single $91 million heist where a user was deceived into handing over 783 Bitcoin by bad actors impersonating a hardware wallet support team. This trend indicates that cybersecurity efforts must now prioritize human factors as much as code audits.