Crypto is in the midst of what Mintology CEO Zach Burks calls “crime season,” as hacks and illicit activity drive down investor confidence. 

So far in 2025, over $2.2 billion in crypto has been stolen, including a $1.5 billion heist by North Korea’s Lazarus Group. In a note to Coin Insider Daily, Burks warned that the rise in crime is damaging markets and posing a national security risk.

“The increased perception of crime in crypto has caused the meme coin market to crash by 56% since December,” Burks said. “At the same time, Bitcoin has fallen from $106,000 to $83,000, and we could see it drop to $72,000 in the coming weeks.”

He advises investors, especially those holding meme coins, to brace for continued volatility over the next six weeks.

Regulation won’t solve crypto’s crime problem

Burks argues that traditional regulatory bodies like the SEC and FCA are ill-equipped to handle crypto crime. 

The agencies “are inefficient in retrieving crypto funds and only seek to create more bureaucracy, taking crypto away from what it was created to achieve. ,” he wrote.

Instead, he believes the industry needs a decentralized, community-driven approach. We need to build a network of community-led tacticians like Zach XBT, who can tackle illicit transactions executed by mass operations to bring trust back to crypto and prevent capital from being lost forever,” Burks said. 

Burks contends that the issue goes beyond safeguarding individual investors — it’s a matter of national security. Relying on politicians and bureaucracy won’t solve the problem. According to Burks, what is required are crypto pragmatists ready to advocate for a level playing field.