FBI Guidance for Cryptocurrency Scam Victims
If you believe you or someone you know may be a victim of a cryptocurrency scam, immediately submit a report to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov or contact your local FBI Field Office and provide as much transaction information as possible. Be wary of anyone claiming they can recover your funds as this may be another scam. For more information see August 11, 2023, Alert Number 08112023.
What Information Should I Provide to the FBI?
The most important information you can provide are transaction details. Transaction details include cryptocurrency addresses, amount and type of cryptocurrency, date and time, and transaction ID (hash). These unique identifiers vary in length and look like long strings of random letters and numbers. Please see examples of important transaction details in the table below.
| Transaction Details | Example1 |
|---|---|
| Cryptocurrency Addresses | 0x58566904f57eac4E9EDd81BbC2f877865ECd35985 |
| Amount and Cryptocurrency Type | 1.02345 ether |
| Dates/Times | 1 January 2023, 12:01 AM EST |
| Transaction ID (hash) | 0xfa485de419011ceefdd3cd00a4ff64e52bf9a0dfa528e4fff8bb4c9c |
If you are unsure whether transaction information you have is relevant, please include it.
How Should I Contact the FBI?
Do not wait. Go to www.ic3.gov and click on “file a complaint”.
What Other Information Should I Provide?
Provide any other information you may have about the scam, to include:
- Where and how you first encountered the scammer.
- Your communications with the scammer (for example, emails or texts) and associated identifiers such as names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers.
- What domain names, website addresses, or applications the scammer instructed you to use.
- Any two-factor authentication or “one time passcode” information.
- Which cryptocurrency exchanges you used to send or receive funds.
- The timeline of the scam.
What If I Do Not Have Transaction Information?
If you do not have transaction information, please still submit a report to the FBI IC3 and provide as much information as you have.
Previous Alerts
- August 11, 2023: Increase in Companies Falsely Claiming an Ability to Recover Funds Lost in Cryptocurrency Investment Scams (I-081123-PSA)
- March 14, 2023: The FBI Warns of a Spike in Cryptocurrency Investment Schemes (I-031423-PSA)
- March 09, 2023: Criminals Steal Cryptocurrency through Play-to-Earn Games (I-030923-PSA)
- October 03, 2022: Cryptocurrency Investment Schemes (I-100322-PSA)
- August 29, 2022: Cyber Criminals Increasingly Exploit Vulnerabilities in Decentralized Finance Platforms to Obtain Cryptocurrency, Causing Investors to Lose Money (I-082922-PSA)
- July 21, 2022: Scammers Target and Exploit Owners of Cryptocurrencies in Liquidity Mining Scam (I-072122-PSA)
- November 04, 2021: The FBI Warns of Fraudulent Schemes Leveraging Cryptocurrency ATMs and QR Codes to Facilitate Payment (I-110421-PSA)
- 13 April 2021: Rise in Use of Cryptocurrency in Business Email Compromise Schemes (I-041321-PSA)
