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If someone contacts you after a crypto theft and promises to get your coins back—especially for an upfront or escalating fee—treat the offer as a possible second scam. Stop paying, do not share more information, and preserve the messages and transaction details. In the United States, report promptly to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) or a local FBI field office; a report can support recovery efforts but does not guarantee that funds will be returned.
How a crypto recovery scam works
After a theft or investment fraud, a purported recovery company, lawyer, investigator, government official, or law-enforcement officer may offer to trace or retrieve the missing crypto. The approach can arrive by social media, messaging app, email, phone call, advertisement, or comment near crypto content. Some scammers claim an official affiliation to make the offer seem trustworthy. The FBI warns that fraudsters may even pretend to be connected with Operation Level Up; an official-sounding name or knowledge of your earlier loss does not prove the contact is legitimate. FBI: Operation Level Up; CFTC: Don’t be Re-Victimized by Recovery Frauds
A common pattern is to demand an initial payment, then disappear or send a questionable tracing report and ask for more money. A polished website, technical-looking report, or claim that funds have been located is not proof that the person can return them. FBI San Diego Division: Cryptocurrency Recovery Fraud Investigation
Warning signs to look for
- Unexpected contact: Someone approaches you after the loss and says they can recover your crypto, particularly through an unofficial account or channel. CFTC: Recovery Frauds
- Upfront or growing fees: They ask you to pay before any recovery, then add charges for taxes, verification, release, or further tracing. The FBI warns about upfront and additional fee demands; it also cautions victims of investment scams against paying supposed taxes or fees to unlock funds. FBI San Diego Division: Recovery Fraud Investigation; FBI: Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud
- Unverified authority: The contact claims to represent law enforcement, a government agency, a law firm, or an official recovery program, but you cannot confirm the claim independently. Scammers have impersonated FBI employees and other officials. FBI: Operation Level Up
- Guarantees, urgency, or secrecy: They promise a sure result, pressure you to act quickly or keep the matter secret, or say payment is your only route to the funds. Official guidance says to be wary of anyone claiming they can recover your funds. FBI IC3: Guidance for Cryptocurrency Scam Victims
- A report without a verifiable legal path: A tracing report may identify transaction activity, but it does not itself freeze or seize crypto. Be skeptical if the provider cannot explain a concrete, verifiable legal process behind a claimed freeze or seizure. Private recovery companies cannot issue seizure orders. FBI San Diego Division: Recovery Fraud Investigation
Tracing, freezing, seizure, and return are different
Tracing means following transaction activity; it does not mean the funds have been secured. A freeze prevents movement through an exchange or another platform that controls an account. Exchanges may freeze accounts under their own processes or in response to legal process. Seizure is a legal action, and a private recovery company cannot issue the order. Returning assets to a victim is a further step and is not guaranteed by a report, a trace, or a freeze. FBI San Diego Division: Recovery Fraud Investigation
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The FBI says prompt reporting can support recovery efforts, not ensure them. The CFTC warns that recovering fraud losses is rare and becomes more difficult if money has first been converted to crypto. FBI IC3: Guidance for Cryptocurrency Scam Victims; CFTC: Relationship Cons, Recovery Scams, & Money Laundering
What to do if someone offers to recover your crypto
- Stop the contact from costing you more. Do not pay, provide wallet credentials, or share additional personal or financial information. The FBI advises victims to avoid engaging with suspected recovery scammers. FBI: Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud
- Preserve evidence. Before deleting messages or blocking the account, save the names used, phone numbers, email addresses, usernames, profile links, URLs, messages, payment requests, receipts, and any claimed affiliation. Keep the original theft communications and transaction records as well.
- Record the transaction trail. Note the asset and amount, date and time, sending and receiving wallet addresses, transaction hash, and any exchange or financial institution involved. IC3 identifies transaction details and information about the people or entities involved as useful report information. FBI IC3: Guidance for Cryptocurrency Scam Victims
- Report in the United States. File a report with IC3 promptly or contact a local FBI field office. You can also report suspicious crypto activity to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and use the CFTC’s complaint channel when relevant. FBI: Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud; CFTC: 6 Steps to Take after Discovering Fraud; FTC: Don’t Pay for “Help” Recovering Crypto
- Verify any official follow-up independently. Do not reply to an unsolicited message just because it claims to follow up on your report. Find the agency’s official website and use its published contact route to verify the communication. FBI: Operation Level Up
If you are outside the United States
The reporting steps above describe U.S. federal channels. Procedures and available remedies vary by country. Use your own government’s official cybercrime reporting service, consumer-fraud regulator, and local law enforcement rather than assuming IC3 is the right authority for your location.
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