The Coinbase Consumer Protection report says that "Discord and Telegram have become hotbeds for crypto-related scams," with some DeFi protocols like Morpho openly cutting back on Discord channels due to high scam risk in early 2026. Modern Discord crypto fraud is not carried out by just one person. Coinbase's January 2026 report describes networks that operate like corporations, with teams specializing in scripting, draining wallets, and money laundering, including "The Com" gang that uses Discord and Telegram to plan social-engineering operations. The 2026 Crypto Crime Report from Chainalysis shows Bitcoin frauds took in almost $17 billion in 2025 (up from $9.9–12 billion), while impersonation schemes grew by 1,400% year over year, with the average scam payment increasing 253% to $2,764 due to AI-generated scripts and deepfake elements.