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| By Beth Canova |
Bitcoin (BTC, “A-”) just hit a new all-time high.
And boy, it didn’t take long for the vultures to start circling.
I’m talking about scammers. The opportunists who see crypto on the rise … and decide to target other users instead of the gains traders can find in the running market.
The latest popular trend targets Bitcoin ATMs.
Just like regular ATM breaches, this approach tricks people into believing a physical machine is secure. But their deposits never go into their accounts.
In 2024, Americans lost nearly $250 million to Bitcoin ATM scams, nearly double the damage from the previous year.
This issue is so widespread, AARP is even warning its members — all 38 million of them — to beware and do their due diligence when using Bitcoin ATMs.
And it’s not the only scam you need to guard against.
Advanced phishing scams, rug pulls and fake crypto support are all popular approaches. That’s because they can trick you into believing an opportunity or communication is real by impersonating a trusted source.
It’s only in the aftermath that you realize you were taken for a ride.
For all its good, AI has made discerning between what’s real and what’s dangerous even more challenging.
AI-powered deepfakes — designed to mimic a person’s appearance or just their voice — can convince you that a trusted person is asking for your keys.
Even less-sophisticated AI-powered bots can generate emails or social media posts that can look real at first glance.
No one is immune from being a target. Even our own team has seen an uptick in calls recently from smart Weiss Ratings Members who caught bots pretending to be our experts.
First, I want to give a quick shoutout to our members. They recognized the signs of a scam and were able to foil those nefarious plans.
Incredible work!
More importantly, I want to share how they spotted these fakes: By taking the time to review the communication.
These members received direct messages from accounts claiming to be our experts.
And that was an instant red flag!
Juan Villaverde, Marija Matić, Mark Gough and al your editors here at Weiss will only ever communicate with you via our official email and on our website.
That means any private messages or DMs on social media should be a warning to you.
And no one should ever need to ask for your keys. Any message that does should immediately spark your suspicion.
To help you identify and deal with online scams like these, we’ve compiled a quick guide you can review here.
And to hear what Juan is really saying — and the opportunities he sees ahead in Q4 — I encourage you to watch his latest crypto briefing here.
Then, be sure to review the rest of this week’s highlights and insights, including …
The Quiet Apocalypse You're Not Seeing … Yet
A viral claim has gripped financial markets: We’re in a bubble that’s 17x larger than the Dot-Com Crash … and 4x the subprime meltdown.
But AI isn’t likely to come crashing down the same way. As tech expert Jurica Dujmovic explains, AI bubble isn’t one that explodes. Rather, it's one that deflates selectively.
And this week, he shows you one strategy to stay afloat in this sector.
Wall Street Just Took the Wheel on Crypto
The big story this week isn’t Bitcoin’s price action.
It’s how fast the market structure changed underneath it. That’s because Wall Street has taken the wheel and is now steering the ship.
In his update, Mark Gough uses the raw data to reveal where it’ll take the market next.
The Hidden Message Inside Gold & Bitcoin’s New Highs
Gold leads Bitcoin by about six months. And it’s been on a bullish tear in 2025.
To show you how this will translate to the blockchain — and when — Bob Czeschin puts the three forces that have sparked gold’s run in the spotlight.
Before they push Bitcoin into overdrive.
Keep Crypto on Your Credit Card
Crypto is having its moment. But a lot of the action we see influencing prices is driven by institutional players.
For most people, though, the proof that crypto has become too big to ignore isn't in market caps. It's in whether you can actually use crypto to buy groceries or fill up your gas tank.
And indeed, you can, thanks to crypto credit cards. They bridge the gap between your digital assets and everyday spending.
Which is why DeFi expert Marija Matić dove deep to bring you the options available to U.S. residents. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and this detailed breakdown can help you find the one that’s right for you.
A Hidden Divergence Could Impact Your Q4 Crypto Plan
Bitcoin inched up to a new all-time closing high on Monday. And history shows an 80% likelihood for more upside action.
But that’s not what another key Bitcoin indicator projects.
In his update, cycles expert Juan Villaverde reveals what is causing this divergence and what he expects Bitcoin to do in response. And he gives one way you can gain access to his Crypto Timing Model to navigate the market as he does.
But that’s all for this week. Be sure to check your inbox tomorrow for your next Weiss Crypto Daily update.
Best,
Beth Canova
