If you sent cryptocurrency to a scammer, stop sending money, preserve the evidence, report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and contact the exchange you used. A completed blockchain transfer is generally irreversible, so reporting and tracing do not guarantee that funds will be returned. Be especially wary of anyone who contacts you promising recovery for an upfront fee.
What to do immediately after a cryptocurrency scam
- Stop payments and contact. Do not send more cryptocurrency or pay a supposed tax, fee, or release charge to unlock an account or retrieve funds. The FBI warns that these demands can be another way to take money. Where practical, stop communicating with the suspected scammer, but preserve existing messages and account details. Do not tell the suspected criminals that you filed an FBI report; the FBI warns that doing so could compromise an investigation. See the FBI’s cryptocurrency investment fraud guidance.
- Save transaction and contact evidence. Record each coin or token, amount, date and time, sending and receiving wallet addresses, and transaction hash or ID. Preserve the exchange or financial institution used, messages, emails, phone numbers, usernames, websites or apps, and how the contact began. Keep a timeline of events, including any later approaches from purported recovery firms.
- Report promptly to IC3. File at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) as soon as possible. Submit the information you have; the FBI says not to wait for every transaction detail before reporting. IC3’s guidance is titled What To Do If You Were the Target of a Cryptocurrency Scam?.
- Notify the exchange used to send the funds. Provide transaction details and ask whether it can act under its own procedures. A completed transfer should not be assumed reversible; any account freeze depends on the exchange’s process or legal process.
- Use other official reporting channels when relevant. Depending on the facts, also file with the FTC’s ReportFraud, the CFTC, or the SEC. These are reporting routes, not promises of reimbursement.
Can you get stolen cryptocurrency back?
Sometimes investigators or other parties with appropriate authority can identify and freeze or seize assets, but no general process guarantees recovery. Public blockchains record transactions, which can help investigators follow funds; tracing alone does not identify every person involved, stop a transfer, or return money. Cryptocurrency can move quickly across borders, and funds routed through overseas exchanges or other jurisdictions can make investigations more difficult. The FBI’s IC3 cryptocurrency scam guidance explains the limits and recommends reporting promptly.
Private investigators or legal professionals may offer investigative or legal services, and a victim may consider civil litigation, but neither route guarantees that funds can be recovered. A private company cannot issue a seizure order. As the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center put it in an August 11, 2023 public service announcement: “Private sector recovery companies cannot issue seizure orders to recover cryptocurrency.” An exchange may freeze an account through its internal process or in response to legal process; that is different from reversing a blockchain transaction.
A seizure case is not a general recovery program
In one FBI and U.S. Secret Service investigation, agencies said blockchain analysis and other investigative methods connected seized cryptocurrency to investment-fraud victims. Victims identified in that matter would be contacted about petition instructions. That case-specific process does not mean every scam victim can enroll, or that a petition will lead to a payment. Follow instructions only through verified official channels.
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How to report a crypto scam to IC3
Use IC3.gov and provide as much relevant detail as you can. The FBI’s cryptocurrency scam reporting guidance calls for transaction information and details that may help investigators understand how the fraud worked.
- Cryptocurrency type, amount, transaction date and time, wallet addresses, and transaction hash or ID.
- The exchange or financial institution used to send the money.
- How the scammer first contacted you, plus names, usernames, email addresses, and phone numbers.
- Website domains, app names, and copies of messages or other communications.
- A timeline of what happened, including any requests for additional payments or claims that funds were being held.
If some details are missing, submit what is available rather than delaying the complaint. Keep a copy of the complaint and any reference information you receive. Do not disclose an IC3 filing to the suspected scammer.
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Which reporting or recovery route fits your situation?
| Route | What it can do | Who acts | What to provide or expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| IC3 | Receive a complaint for federal law-enforcement analysis and potential investigation. | FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. | Transaction data, contact details, websites or apps, communications, and timeline; file with what you have. |
| Sending exchange | Consider action under its internal procedures or legal process; do not expect an automatic reversal. | The exchange, subject to its procedures and applicable legal process. | Identify the transaction and account, provide the hash or ID and other records, and ask what action is possible. |
| FTC, CFTC, or SEC | Receive reports relevant to consumer fraud, commodities, or securities, depending on the facts. | The relevant federal agency. | Choose the channel that fits the suspected conduct; not every agency is relevant to every case. |
| Civil litigation | Pursue a civil claim where there is a legal basis and identifiable parties or assets. | A court, through a legal process initiated by a claimant. | Requires case-specific legal assessment; a lawsuit does not ensure that assets can be found or collected. |
The FTC lists official reporting options for cryptocurrency scams, including the FTC, CFTC, SEC, IC3, and the exchange used to send funds. Consider the route that matches the facts rather than assuming every agency must receive a report.
How to recognize a fake crypto recovery service
People who have already lost money are often targeted again by callers, messages, or websites claiming to be law enforcement, lawyers, or recovery companies. Warning signs include unsolicited contact, guaranteed recovery, claims of official affiliation, pressure to act quickly, and demands for an advance fee. The FBI has also warned about tracing reports that are inaccurate or incomplete and then used to justify additional fee demands. Law enforcement does not charge victims a fee to investigate.
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- Do not send money or personal information to an unsolicited recovery contact.
- Do not pay a “tax,” processing charge, or release fee to receive recovered funds.
- Verify anyone claiming to be with the FBI by contacting your local FBI field office independently.
- Be suspicious if the person asks you to move the conversation to a private messaging app or provide bank-account details.
The FBI states: “The FBI will never ask for money, move communications to private messaging apps, or request bank account details or personal identifying information.” If someone claims to be FBI, use the FBI’s official field office directory to verify the contact rather than using details the person supplied.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What current FBI figures do—and do not—show
In 2026, the FBI reported 181,565 cryptocurrency-related complaints and more than $11 billion in reported losses in its summary of the 2025 Internet Crime Report. Those are reported complaints and losses—not a count of every incident, and not an estimate of funds available for victims to recover.
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The FBI also said that its Operation Level Up, launched in 2024, had notified more than 8,000 victims and reduced losses by more than $500 million. Those are the FBI’s program figures; they do not establish a route for every victim to enroll or promise recovery of money already lost. An earlier FBI update reported more than 4,300 potential victims notified and an estimated $285 million saved as of January 2025; the later figures provide the newer cumulative scale.
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