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What “recovering” lost crypto can mean
Several different actions are often described as recovery, but they are not interchangeable:
- Tracing: Following transactions between blockchain addresses. This may help an investigation, but a tracing report does not freeze funds or force anyone to return them.
- Freezing: An exchange may restrict an account through its own processes or in response to legal process. Contacting an exchange does not ensure it will identify, freeze, or return the assets. The FBI explains the limits of private recovery firms and exchange freezes.
- Seizure: Law enforcement may seek to seize assets as part of an investigation. That does not automatically mean every person who lost money will be repaid.
- Civil litigation: A victim may pursue a civil remedy, but a lawsuit is distinct from locating assets or collecting a judgment.
There is no established general recovery rate for victims of crypto investment scams. A 2025 federal case illustrates what can happen in a specific investigation: the FBI, Secret Service, and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia described approximately $225 million in cryptocurrency seized in connection with crypto-confidence scams, with a process for potentially affected victims to check addresses. That case is not a prediction of an individual victim’s outcome. See the agencies’ case information.
What to do after discovering the scam
- Stop sending money. Do not pay a purported tax, verification charge, release fee, or other amount to withdraw a displayed balance. The FBI warns that investment-scam victims may still be unable to get funds back after paying imposed fees or taxes. Read the FBI’s warning about cryptocurrency investment fraud.
- Preserve evidence. Save transaction IDs or hashes, sending and receiving addresses, currency and amount, dates and times, exchange receipts, bank or card records, website and app URLs, account names, phone numbers, emails, messages, and screenshots. Do not delete the platform or communications, even if you can no longer log in.
- Report to IC3 promptly. Use the FBI’s IC3 reporting site and include the transaction details—not just a narrative of what happened. The FBI specifically asks for cryptocurrency addresses, amount and type of currency, date and time, and transaction ID or hash. You may also consider contacting your local FBI Field Office. See IC3’s reporting guidance.
- Contact any exchange or payment provider involved. Use contact details from the provider’s independently verified official website. Ask whether it can flag or restrict a destination account, while recognizing that any freeze depends on its procedures or legal process.
- Secure accounts and information you exposed. If you shared passwords, seed phrases, identity documents, or banking details, change affected passwords, secure remaining accounts, and contact financial institutions using known official channels. Never give a recovery contact your seed phrase, password, or banking credentials.
- Verify unexpected follow-up contacts. Someone claiming to be from IC3, the FBI, a law firm, or another government agency may be impersonating an official. Verify through the agency’s official contact channels rather than responding to the message.
How to recognize a recovery scam
People who have already lost money can be targeted again through social media, messaging apps, advertisements, and online comments. The FBI warns that recovery scammers may demand payment upfront, provide an incomplete or inaccurate tracing report, then ask for more money—or stop responding. Others falsely claim law-enforcement or legal affiliations. The FBI describes common recovery-scam tactics.
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- An unsolicited person promises a guaranteed recovery or claims they can personally seize funds.
- They demand an upfront fee, supposed taxes, or more payments to release a recovery.
- They ask for your seed phrase, passwords, identity documents, or banking information.
- They claim a government connection or send you to a law firm you cannot independently verify.
Private recovery companies cannot issue seizure orders. In its June 2024 alert, the FBI described fictitious law firms that solicited victims, claimed access to government information, requested personal or banking details, and charged fees or demanded back taxes. The FBI reported that victims further exploited by fictitious law firms lost over $9.9 million between February 2023 and February 2024; that figure is not a recovery rate or a current total. Read the FBI’s alert about fictitious law firms.
What the reported figures do—and do not—show
Official complaint totals indicate the scale of reported fraud, not the likelihood that an individual will recover money. IC3 reported 10,516 cryptocurrency investment fraud complaints and $1.4 billion in reported losses for 2025. Its annual report also recorded 10,516 recovery-scam complaints; the report notes that those losses may include losses from the earlier scam that prompted contact with a recovery company, so they should not all be treated as new losses caused by recovery scams. See the 2025 IC3 Annual Report.
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Earlier FBI alerts reported more than $2.5 billion in cryptocurrency investment-fraud losses reported to IC3 in 2022. Neither that figure nor the later complaint totals establishes how often victims get their money back.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Questions to ask before pursuing a route
Before paying anyone or taking legal action, consider who has authority to act, what evidence you have, whether funds may remain at an identifiable exchange, which jurisdictions are involved, and the likely cost and delay. A tracing service may claim to follow funds, but a report alone cannot compel a transfer. Be especially cautious of unsolicited offers and upfront-payment demands. The FBI’s advice is direct: “Do not pay for services that claim to be able to recover lost funds.” FBI, March 14, 2023.
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- Proven security at scale: Over 9 years and millions of cards issued with no known remote hacks, while military‑grade EAL6+ security keeps your private keys locked inside the chip. Your cryptocurrencies stay strongly protected from online attackers.
- Tap once to manage your entire crypto wallet across 90 blockchains - no USB cables or Bluetooth, no batteries, no setup. Access 14,100+ coins & tokens, DeFi, NFTs, and staking instantly from your phone
- Smart backup: Use your second Tangem Wallet as your Backup keys with end‑to‑end encryption; no more papers, pictures. If one card is lost, the remaining can still restore full access, with an optional seed phrase available for advanced users.
- Engineered to last up to 25 years: Waterproof (IP69K), shockproof and tested for extreme temperatures from −25°C to 50°C. A durable cold wallet with long‑term protection and independently audited security.
- Trusted by 6 million users worldwide - buy, sell, swap, stake, and spend cryptocurrency directly. The secure offline storage wallet designed for how people actually use crypto wallets
This guidance and the reporting routes above are U.S.-focused. Reporting contacts, legal options, and remedies differ in other countries; consult the relevant official authorities where you live.
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