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Use the channel that matches the suspected conduct: report a cyber-enabled cryptocurrency scam or other internet crime to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3); report suspected public corruption to the FBI; send specific information about potential Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) or specified sanctions violations through FinCEN’s whistleblower process; and report tax-law violations to the IRS. If anyone faces immediate danger, call 911 or local police.
These are U.S. reporting routes. A report gives investigators information; it does not by itself prove wrongdoing or guarantee an investigation, confidentiality, recovery of funds, or a whistleblower award. Readers outside the United States should use their national financial-intelligence unit, police, anti-corruption authority, or other applicable regulator.
Choose the reporting route by what you know
The same facts can involve more than one type of misconduct, but the agencies do not have interchangeable roles. Start with the conduct you can describe and the evidence you actually possess.
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| What you suspect | Primary U.S. route | What to understand |
|---|---|---|
| Cyber-enabled crypto fraud, theft, extortion, or another internet crime | FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3); you may also contact your local FBI field office | You can file even when no financial loss occurred. |
| Public corruption involving an official, public employee, or public institution | FBI tip route listed by the Department of Justice | Describe the official act, the people involved, and the evidence connecting the conduct to corruption. |
| Potential BSA violations or specified sanctions-related violations | FinCEN’s whistleblower submission program | This is a specialized tip process, not a replacement for a victim’s IC3 complaint. |
| Tax-law violations, such as unreported taxable crypto income | IRS reporting guidance | The IRS handles tax concerns; its guidance directs suspected cryptocurrency or other money laundering and wire fraud to FinCEN. |
| Immediate physical danger or a crime in progress | 911 or local police; see the Department of Justice Criminal Division fraud page | Do not wait for an online form when someone may be in danger. |
When more than one route makes sense
A person defrauded through a fake investment platform can submit an IC3 complaint and promptly notify the bank, card issuer, payment service, or cryptocurrency exchange involved. A witness who has never lost money but observed an official steering a contract in exchange for crypto can use the FBI corruption route. Someone with detailed evidence that a financial institution or other covered party may have violated the BSA can consider FinCEN’s process. The available federal guidance does not establish one mandatory order for every combination of facts, so explain the overlap in each submission rather than trying to force one agency to handle every issue.
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Protect yourself before submitting anything
Stop funding an active investment scam
If a suspected investment fraud is still demanding deposits, withdrawals, “taxes,” or verification fees, stop sending money. The FBI advises victims to report promptly to IC3 and not to alert the suspected criminals that a report has been made, because that warning could compromise an investigation. Save the conversation and account information instead of arguing with the operator.
Reject recovery offers that arrive after the loss
People who lose cryptocurrency are often contacted by a second scammer claiming to be a tracing investigator, lawyer, exchange employee, or government contractor. The FBI warns against anyone promising to recover lost funds, and IC3 specifically cautions about recovery services that demand an upfront fee. IC3 says it does not work with non-law-enforcement entities to recover lost funds or investigate cases. No commercial service can guarantee that a government agency will freeze or return your assets.
Preserve original records
Keep the original emails, messages, device files, exchange exports, bank records, and screenshots in their native form. The IC3 complaint form instructs reporters to retain originals of pertinent documents for law enforcement. Make a working copy for your own notes, but do not crop, rewrite, or alter the original evidence. Store a backup in a location that the suspected person cannot access.
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Prepare a short chronology before opening a form. Give agencies what you know now; do not postpone a report while attempting to perform a complete blockchain investigation. FBI guidance says to submit a complaint even when you lack transaction information.
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Transaction and blockchain details
- Cryptocurrency address that sent or received the assets.
- Asset type and amount, including the unit and approximate fiat value if known.
- Transaction hash or transaction ID, date and time, and blockchain or network, if known.
- Exchange, bank, payment processor, mixer, bridge, wallet provider, or other service used.
- Deposit, withdrawal, wire, card, or transfer reference numbers.
People, organizations, and online identifiers
- Names, aliases, company names, registration details, and public-office titles.
- Email addresses, telephone numbers, usernames, social-media profiles, websites, domains, and app names.
- How contact began, which account initiated it, and whether anyone claimed to represent a government agency, exchange, investment firm, or charity.
- Bank accounts, exchange accounts, wallet labels, or other identifiers tied to the activity.
Communications and supporting records
- Messages, emails, call logs, invoices, contracts, payment instructions, advertisements, and website captures.
- Statements from banks or exchanges showing the relevant dates and amounts.
- Device or account information that helps identify access, if you can obtain it lawfully.
Separate observation from inference
Write what you personally saw first, then identify what you believe it means. For example, distinguish “the official asked for 2.5 ether through this address after approving the permit” from “this was a bribe.” Include the facts that support the inference and label information learned from another person as secondhand. A clear distinction helps investigators assess reliability without requiring you to prove the legal conclusion.
Wallet address versus transaction hash
A wallet address is an identifier for a blockchain account or destination; it can appear in many transactions. A transaction hash, also called a transaction ID, identifies one recorded transfer on a particular blockchain. Provide both when available: the address helps investigators map activity, while the hash points to the specific transfer, its time, amount, and status. If you have only a screenshot or a partial address, include it rather than guessing the missing characters.
“If you are unsure whether transaction information you have is relevant, please include it.” — FBI, FBI Guidance for Cryptocurrency Scam Victims, August 24, 2023.
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Submit a cybercrime or crypto-fraud report through IC3
- Open the FBI’s Cryptocurrency guidance and follow the link to the IC3 complaint form.
- Gather your timeline, transaction identifiers, contact details, service names, and records before starting. The form’s instructions tell you how to provide the information and what documents to retain.
- Describe the first contact, the promise or demand made, each payment or attempted payment, and the point at which you recognized possible fraud or another crime.
- Enter blockchain data exactly as shown in the source record. Do not “correct” an address by guessing, and state when a date, amount, or identity is approximate.
- Identify every known website, domain, application, telephone number, email address, username, exchange, bank, and account connected to the conduct.
- Explain whether money was lost, threatened, or merely solicited. IC3 says the public should submit a complaint even if no financial loss occurred.
- Review the form’s submission instructions, submit the complaint, and retain your own copy of the information and any reference details the form provides.
IC3 is an intake and information-sharing channel, not a private recovery desk. A submission does not promise that an agent will contact you, that assets will be recovered, or that a particular case will be opened. If the facts also indicate corruption, BSA violations, or tax misconduct, make the additional report to the appropriate channel rather than assuming IC3 will redirect every issue.
Report suspected public corruption to the FBI
Public corruption can include an official using public authority for a private benefit, steering a government decision in exchange for value, or misusing public resources. Cryptocurrency may be the payment method, concealment method, or asset being misused; the corruption allegation still needs to be described in terms of the official act and the benefit.
- Use the FBI tip option identified on the DOJ’s Report a Crime or Submit a Complaint page, or contact the FBI field office serving the relevant location.
- Identify the government office, official, contractor, intermediary, or private party involved. Include titles and aliases so investigators can distinguish people with similar names.
- Set out the decision, permit, contract, inspection, appointment, enforcement action, or other official act at issue, with dates and locations.
- Describe the cryptocurrency address, exchange account, gift, promise, or transfer connected to the act, and explain how you learned about it.
- Attach or preserve messages, ledgers, transaction records, meeting notes, photographs, and other material according to the submission instructions. Do not publish sensitive evidence merely to draw attention to the allegation.
- State which facts are firsthand, which are documents you received, and which are your interpretation.
For danger occurring now, threats, or a crime in progress, call 911 or local police instead of waiting for an online tip form. A corruption tip is an allegation for assessment, not a finding that an official committed a crime.
Use FinCEN’s whistleblower process for potential BSA or sanctions violations
FinCEN’s “Submitting a Tip” page describes a program for information about potential violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and specified sanctions-related violations. This route is most relevant when your information concerns regulated financial activity, reporting, compliance, or sanctions—not simply the fact that you lost cryptocurrency.
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- The institution, business, or person whose conduct you believe may violate the BSA or a specified sanctions requirement.
- Dates, accounts, wallet addresses, transaction hashes, amounts, assets, jurisdictions, and counterparties.
- Why the conduct appears to involve a reporting, recordkeeping, anti-money-laundering, or sanctions obligation.
- Documents showing what you observed, how you obtained the information, and whether anyone instructed you to conceal or alter records.
- Any prior report to an employer, regulator, law-enforcement agency, or financial institution, if relevant.
Read FinCEN’s current eligibility, submission, and confidentiality terms before filing. Its whistleblower process is not a substitute for an IC3 complaint by a person targeted in a cyber scam, and filing does not guarantee an investigation, confidentiality in every circumstance, or an award.
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Use the IRS route when the suspected violation is tax-related
Use the IRS reporting guidance when the central issue is a tax-law violation, such as deliberately hiding taxable cryptocurrency income or falsifying records. Provide the taxpayer or business identity, tax years, transaction amounts, and documents that support the tax allegation.
The IRS guidance specifically routes suspected cryptocurrency or other money laundering and wire fraud to FinCEN. That distinction matters: an IRS submission should focus on the tax conduct, while a FinCEN submission addresses potential BSA or specified sanctions violations. If the same facts involve a cyber-enabled theft, an IC3 complaint may also be appropriate.
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Agencies can work with incomplete information, but they need a readable account. Use this order:
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- People and setting: who contacted whom, through which service, and in what role.
- Timeline: each significant contact, instruction, transfer, official decision, or account change in date order and time zone when known.
- Assets and identifiers: asset type, amount, addresses, transaction hashes, accounts, and services.
- Conduct: what was promised, demanded, concealed, falsified, or exchanged.
- Basis for suspicion: the specific facts linking the activity to cybercrime, corruption, laundering, sanctions, or tax misconduct.
- Evidence location: where originals are stored and which records correspond to each event.
- Safety issues: threats, harassment, ongoing demands, or risk to another person.
Do not inflate a dollar value, identify an unknown person as a fact, or claim that funds were laundered solely because they moved through several wallets. Explain the observable chain and let investigators determine the legal characterization.
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What to expect after filing
Federal agencies use complaints and tips for intake, analysis, referrals, and investigative leads. You may not receive a status update, and a lack of response does not establish that the information was ignored. Agencies can also have jurisdictional, evidentiary, resource, or timing limits.
The FBI notes that tracing cryptocurrency and handling cross-border activity can present challenges; the relevant facts may involve several blockchains, exchanges, countries, and legal systems. Preserve new records and update an agency only through the contact method it provides, rather than repeatedly submitting altered versions of the same material.
A filing is not a judgment that a person committed corruption or money laundering. It does not guarantee an investigation, confidentiality, an award, a freeze, or recovery. Review the current terms of the agency or program you use, particularly if you are considering a whistleblower submission or need legal advice about retaliation, privilege, or disclosure.
Common errors that can weaken a report
- Choosing a route by asset type alone: “crypto” does not determine whether the main issue is cybercrime, corruption, BSA compliance, or tax law.
- Waiting for perfect proof: submit accurate partial information and identify what remains unknown.
- Editing original evidence: preserve native files and keep a separate working copy.
- Confronting a suspected official or scammer: contact can increase risk or lead to deleted records.
- Paying a recovery claimant: an upfront fee and a promise of guaranteed recovery are major warning signs.
- Posting wallet addresses and private records publicly: public disclosure can expose you, contaminate evidence, or warn suspects.
- Mixing fact and conclusion: label assumptions and secondhand accounts so they are not mistaken for firsthand observations.
What the available complaint numbers do—and do not—show
The FBI’s 2023 Cryptocurrency Report says IC3 received more than 69,000 public complaints involving financial fraud that used cryptocurrency in 2023. That is a historical count of complaints received, not a count of unique victims, proven crimes, recovered funds, or current-year incidents. The official material reviewed does not provide a comparable statistic for crypto-related public corruption, so the IC3 figure should not be presented as a corruption measure.
If you are outside the United States
The routes above are U.S.-specific. Contact your country’s financial-intelligence unit for suspected laundering, the national or regional police for cybercrime, the designated anti-corruption authority for public-sector misconduct, and the tax regulator for tax violations. Names of agencies, filing deadlines, confidentiality protections, cross-border cooperation, and whistleblower eligibility differ by jurisdiction. Do not assume that a U.S. report creates legal protection or a reporting obligation in another country.
Where a U.S. nexus exists—such as a U.S. exchange, bank, official, victim, or server—you may still consider the U.S. channel that fits the conduct, while also following the reporting rules in the country where you live or where the conduct occurred.
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