The FBI warns that fake law firms are contacting people who have already lost cryptocurrency to fraud, promising to recover it and then seeking more money or sensitive information. Treat an unexpected recovery offer as a serious warning sign: do not pay or share personal or financial details until you have independently verified who is contacting you.
What the FBI’s warning says
In an August 13, 2025 public service announcement, Alert I-081325-PSA, the FBI warned that fictitious law firms are exploiting people’s financial and emotional distress after an earlier cryptocurrency scam. The alert updates the bureau’s June 24, 2024 warning and describes scammers impersonating real attorneys or falsely claiming ties to government agencies. The risks include further financial losses, theft of personal data, and reputational harm to the lawyers or firms being impersonated. Read the FBI alert.
The FBI states: “There are no law firms which are officially authorized partners of US Government agencies.” A claim of official government partnership is not proof of legitimacy.
Red flags in a crypto-recovery offer
The FBI lists warning signs that can appear alone or together. Verify a contact rather than relying on any one clue to decide whether a particular lawyer or firm is genuine.
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- Impersonation or fabricated authority: The contact claims to be a real attorney, uses a real firm’s name, logo, or letterhead, or says the firm is officially partnered with a U.S. or foreign government or regulator. A reference to a nonexistent regulator is another red flag.
- Requests for unusual payment: The supposed firm asks for cryptocurrency or prepaid gift cards. The FBI says the U.S. government does not request payment for law-enforcement services.
- Knowledge of your earlier loss: The caller knows the amounts or dates of your past transfers, claims you are on a government list, or says your funds can be recovered through “legal channels.” That information does not establish that the caller is legitimate.
- A foreign-bank or referral story: The contact says recovered funds are held at a foreign bank and directs you to register on a site that only appears legitimate, or refers you to another supposed crypto-recovery law firm.
- Pressure to keep the process secret: The contact moves you into a WhatsApp or other messaging-app group with purported attorneys or bank processors, or asks you to route payments through a third party.
- More fees to prove ownership: Someone claims bank fees are needed to verify your identity or ownership before funds can be released.
- Credentials or identity cannot be verified: The person will not provide verifiable credentials or a law license, resists a video meeting, or cannot be confirmed through official channels.
How to verify a lawyer or claimed FBI contact
The FBI recommends a “Zero Trust” approach: do not assume an unexpected contact is authentic; verify every request. Do not rely solely on caller ID, links, letterhead, or phone numbers and email addresses supplied by the person making the claim.
- Pause payments and disclosures. Do not send more cryptocurrency, gift cards, or other funds, and do not disclose sensitive identity or financial information to a contact you have not verified.
- Check the lawyer and firm independently. Ask for the person’s full name, credentials, law license, and firm affiliation. Confirm them through independently located official sources, such as the relevant state bar or the firm’s own verified contact channel.
- Verify any government claim yourself. Call the relevant agency or local FBI field office using contact details you find independently, not information supplied by the caller. A video meeting can help confirm identity, but it is not a substitute for official verification.
- Be cautious with documents and websites. Logos, letterhead, legal-looking paperwork, and a convincing website can be copied. Confirm the matter with the named firm or agency through a contact route you located yourself.
- Preserve records. Keep messages, email, payment records, account details, documents, and other relevant information. The FBI also recommends keeping records of interactions, including video-chat recordings where available.
The FBI advisory recommends notarized identity proofs from supposed lawyers before continuing communications or transactions. Whatever verification is requested, do not treat a document, video call, or notarization alone as proof that the person can recover funds; independently confirm the person’s identity and professional affiliation.
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For claimed FBI outreach specifically through Operation Level Up, the FBI says its personnel will not offer recovery services or refer victims to such services, ask for sensitive information, or provide an account to which money should be sent. That guidance applies to Operation Level Up contacts; verify other claimed FBI contact through independently sourced official channels. FBI Operation Level Up.
Can a crypto recovery law firm get your money back?
A recovery promise is not a guarantee that funds can be returned. In a September 3, 2024 notice about a cryptocurrency recovery-fraud investigation, the FBI said recovery-fraud operators may demand upfront fees, stop communicating after an initial deposit, or provide incomplete or inaccurate tracing reports and ask for additional fees. The bureau also warns that fraudsters may claim a legal-services or law-enforcement affiliation. Read the FBI’s notice on cryptocurrency recovery fraud.
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Tracing cryptocurrency is not the same as having authority to seize or return it. The FBI says private-sector recovery companies cannot issue seizure orders. Cryptocurrency exchanges may freeze accounts through their own internal processes or in response to legal process. Civil litigation may be an option, but neither filing a report nor pursuing a lawsuit guarantees recovery.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to report a suspected fake recovery firm
The FBI asks people who have been targeted or suspect they were victimized by a fraudulent law firm to report the activity to their local FBI field office and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
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- Submit a report through IC3.gov.
- Contact your local FBI field office using information from the FBI’s official site.
- Include the contact’s details, messages, payment requests, transaction information, websites, and documents you preserved.
The FBI’s general guidance is to report online or internet-enabled crime to IC3 as soon as possible. Rapid reporting may help support efforts to recover lost funds, but it does not guarantee recovery. More information is available on the FBI’s Common Frauds and Scams page.
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