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If you suspect a cryptocurrency scam, stop sending money, preserve the evidence, and report it promptly to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at IC3.gov or to your local FBI field office. Do not warn the suspected scammer that you are contacting the FBI. Reporting does not guarantee that funds will be recovered, but clear transaction records and the surrounding communications can help authorities assess what happened.
What a crypto investment scam can look like
Many investment scams begin with an unsolicited text, social-media message, or dating-app conversation. The person builds trust, moves the chat to another service, and steers you toward a trading platform or app they recommend. The platform may display rising profits even though the balance is fabricated. When you try to withdraw, the operators may demand more deposits for supposed taxes, penalties, or fees.
A displayed balance is not proof that an investment exists. The FBI also warned on June 15, 2026, that scammers may tell victims to obtain cash for a courier, claiming it will protect an investment or clear a flagged account. The balance may appear to rise after pickup, only for new withdrawal demands to follow. Do not meet an unknown person or hand over cash or valuables for an investment.
Warning signs to take seriously
- A stranger or online-only acquaintance introduces an investment or directs you to a specific trading app.
- The platform’s domain is a lookalike, cannot be independently verified, or was provided only by the person pressuring you to invest. Check the company and website through an independent route rather than relying on their link.
- Returns are described as guaranteed, unusually high, or nearly risk-free; you are rushed, discouraged from researching, or told the method is secret.
- You must deposit more money, pay supposed taxes or penalties, or deliver cash before you can withdraw.
What to do if you may be a victim
- Stop payments and contact. Do not send more cryptocurrency, cash, or fees to unlock an account. Stop communicating with the suspected scammer, and do not alert them to FBI involvement.
- Preserve the evidence. Save messages, emails, screenshots, usernames, profile links, phone numbers, websites, app names, and the sequence of events. Record the date and time, asset and amount, sender and recipient wallet addresses, transaction hash, exchanges used, and any two-factor or one-time-code details relevant to the incident. Do not delete communications that may help explain what happened.
- File a report with IC3. Submit a complaint at IC3.gov, even if no money was lost. Include transaction identifiers and context if available. You can also contact your local FBI field office. IC3 says follow-up is at the discretion of the agency receiving the information; a complaint is not a promise of contact or recovery.
- Notify the relevant U.S. regulator. For investment fraud, the FTC directs consumers to ReportFraud.ftc.gov; the SEC accepts investment-fraud tips and complaints at sec.gov/tcr. The CFTC accepts commodities-fraud complaints at cftc.gov/complaint. Which agency is relevant depends on the facts; these channels are not interchangeable.
- Contact any bank, exchange, or payment provider involved. Use its official app or website, or a phone number independently verified from official materials. Provide the relevant account and transaction information. Contacting a provider does not guarantee a reversal.
- Report follow-up recovery approaches too. Treat unsolicited offers to trace or retrieve funds as high risk. Do not pay an upfront fee or give a recovery agent credentials or personal information. Include the new contact in your incident report.
What information to include in an IC3 report
Gather what you have; do not delay a report just because some details are missing. A useful record connects the transfers to the people, platform, and promises involved.
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- Effortlessly build your crypto portfolio via the all in one Ledger Wallet app: buy, sell, send, receive, swap, stake and more across popular blockchains. 15,000+ coins & tokens in a single dashboard. Keep a close eye on the market. Compare service providers. Track performance. Get timely alerts. Build your portfolio with confidence.
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- Transaction hash or identifier, wallet addresses, asset type, amount, date, and time.
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- A short timeline: how contact began, what you were told, when you transferred funds, and what happened when you tried to withdraw.
Can you get cryptocurrency back?
Do not assume that a complaint, a private tracing service, or a displayed platform balance will return the money. Recovery depends on the facts, and the cited federal guidance does not promise a successful recovery. The FBI warns that people who have already lost cryptocurrency may be targeted by firms or individuals claiming they can trace and recover it.
Reported recovery-scam tactics include charging upfront, disappearing after payment, providing inaccurate tracing reports and then demanding additional fees, or falsely claiming a law-enforcement or legal affiliation. Private recovery companies cannot issue seizure orders. Exchanges may freeze accounts through their own internal processes or in response to legal process; a private company cannot order that seizure. The FBI material notes that civil litigation may be considered, but it does not promise that litigation will recover funds.
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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.” — FBI, Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud guidance.
How common are reported cryptocurrency losses?
IC3’s 2025 figures show the scale of complaints it received, not a complete count of all victims or losses:
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| IC3 category, 2025 | Complaints | Reported losses |
|---|---|---|
| Cryptocurrency investment fraud | 61,559 | $7.228 billion |
| Cryptocurrency-related crime, broader category | 181,565 | $11.366 billion |
| Recovery scams | 10,516 | $1.4 billion |
The broader cryptocurrency-related total is not investment-fraud-only. IC3 also notes that recovery-scam losses can include losses from an earlier scam that led someone to contact a recovery company. All figures are complaints and losses recorded by IC3 in 2025, not a census of every incident.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.U.S. reporting options at a glance
| Channel | When it may fit | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| FBI IC3 | Internet or cryptocurrency scam, including when no financial loss occurred | Submit transaction details and context when available; follow-up is at the receiving agency’s discretion. |
| Local FBI field office | Additional route identified in FBI victim guidance | Contact the office through the FBI’s official site. |
| FTC ReportFraud.ftc.gov | Investment scam | FTC consumer fraud reporting channel. |
| SEC tips and complaints | Investment fraud | Use for tips or complaints relevant to securities; the proper regulator depends on facts. |
| CFTC complaints | Commodities fraud | Use for complaints relevant to commodities. |
These are U.S. reporting routes. The appropriate regulator depends on the product and conduct involved, and making a report is not a guarantee of enforcement action or repayment.
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