Reporting a crypto scam won’t necessarily get your money back, but it helps authorities track scammers and warn others.
Where to Report by Country
| Country | Agency | Website |
|---|---|---|
| UK | Action Fraud | actionfraud.police.uk |
| UK | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) | fca.org.uk |
| US | FBI IC3 | ic3.gov |
| US | SEC | sec.gov/complaint |
| US | FTC | reportfraud.ftc.gov |
| Canada | CAFC | antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca |
| Australia | ACSC | cyber.gov.au |
| EU | Europol | europol.europa.eu |
What Information to Gather
| Information | Why It’s Needed |
|---|---|
| Wallet address(es) | Track funds on blockchain |
| Exchange used | Which platform facilitated the scam |
| Date and time | Timeline of events |
| Amount lost | Value of the scam |
| Screenshots | Evidence of communication |
| Website URLs | Fake site addresses |
| Social media profiles | Scammer identities |
| Transaction hashes | Blockchain proof |
How to Report
Step 1: Secure Your Accounts
Before reporting:
- Move remaining funds to a new wallet
- Change passwords on all accounts
- Enable 2FA if not already active
- Scan your device for malware
Step 2: Contact Your Exchange
| What to Do | Why |
|---|---|
| Freeze account if compromised | Prevent further loss |
| Report the transaction | Exchange may flag the address |
| Provide transaction hashes | Evidence for their investigation |
Step 3: Report to Authorities
File a report with your country’s relevant agency. Include all evidence.
Step 4: Report on Blockchain
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Etherscan | Report address as scam |
| Chainabuse | Community scam reporting |
| ScamAdviser | Check and report malicious sites |
Step 5: Report Social Media Accounts
| Platform | How to Report |
|---|---|
| Twitter/X | Report as scam/fraud |
| Telegram | Report user/group |
| Discord | Report to server admin + Discord Trust & Safety |
| Report as scam |
What Authorities Can Do
| Action | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| Track wallet addresses | High (blockchain is public) |
| Flag addresses on exchanges | Medium |
| Freeze exchange accounts | Low-Medium |
| Recover funds | Very low |
| Prosecute scammers | Low (often overseas) |
What to Do After Reporting
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Watch for recovery scams | Pay anyone who promises recovery |
| Educate others | Feel ashamed |
| Monitor the wallet address | Expect quick results |
Recovery Scam Warning
After you report a scam, you’ll likely be contacted by “recovery specialists” who promise to get your money back for a fee. These are almost always recovery scammers. No one can recover crypto sent to a scammer. Report them too.
Bottom Line
Reporting a crypto scam won’t guarantee recovery, but it’s important. Gather all evidence, report to your country’s fraud agency, flag the address on blockchain explorers, and report social media accounts. Watch for recovery scammers who target victims. Your report may help prevent others from being scammed.
Making Your Report Effective
A detailed, well-organised report is far more useful to investigators than a vague one. In each report, put the wallet address or addresses at the top, followed by the transaction hashes on the relevant block explorer — these give investigators a place to start tracking. Attach screenshots of the scam website, the social media profiles involved, and a timeline of when you were contacted and when the funds left. If you need to file the same evidence with several agencies, keep a single secure folder of screenshots and documents so you can resubmit without hunting for files again.
What to Do After Reporting
Once the reports are filed, the urgent work is done, and the pace slows to patience. Monitor the wallet address you sent funds to on a block explorer — if the scammer moves the coins, the activity is useful future evidence. Continue to watch your own accounts for suspicious activity, since scammers sometimes reuse the same compromised contact details. Most importantly, shift your attention from chasing recovery to locking down your remaining assets and sharing what you learned, because your warning can stop another person from depositing into the same fake platform.
The emotional aftermath of a scam is often worse than the financial loss. Victims commonly feel shame and stay silent, which only lets the same scam claim more victims. Reporting is an act of harm reduction for the whole community: your evidence may be the piece that lets an exchange freeze a wallet or that warns a search-engine user away from a fake site. Even when the outcome for you personally is nothing recovered, the report is a genuine, practical step toward closing the scam down.