Kyle Holder’s entire life savings were stolen from her by sophisticated scammers who used artificial intelligence to perfectly manipulate her. Her $300,000 in retirement and savings accounts, saved over decades, disappeared into the cryptocurrency universe in under three months.
Holder was one of thousands of Americans swindled out of a total estimated at $20 billion by way of cyber theft in 2025, according to the FBI. More than half of those funds were in cryptocurrency.
The first message came in around Christmas 2024 via WhatsApp, a popular messaging app that Holder used to communicate with family and friends in the United States, Canada and Israel. The message offered coaching on how to invest in the crypto market.
Holder, 73, had been an occupational therapist, but an injury made that untenable, so she was intrigued by the idea of investing from home.
“I just thought maybe this was a way that I could use my
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