Sometimes, but there is no reliable way to guarantee that cryptocurrency sent to an investment scam will be returned. Tracing may help investigators follow funds, and an exchange or law enforcement may be able to freeze or seize assets in specific circumstances. A tracing report alone cannot reverse a blockchain transaction, and a private recovery firm cannot issue a seizure order. Report the loss promptly to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), preserve transaction records, and do not pay a supposed withdrawal fee or an unsolicited recovery service.
What “recovery” can mean—and what it cannot promise
People use “recovery” to describe several different steps. They are not interchangeable, and none automatically means that an individual victim will be repaid.
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| Route | What it may do | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
| IC3 or law enforcement report | Collect information that may support an investigation and help investigators follow transactions. | Filing a report does not guarantee recovery. IC3 guidance, August 24, 2023. |
| Exchange contact | An exchange may freeze an account under its own procedures or in response to legal process. | You cannot assume an exchange will identify, freeze, or return the funds. FBI/IC3 alert, August 11, 2023. |
| Civil litigation | A victim may pursue a civil remedy. | A court action is not the same as locating assets or collecting a judgment. The FBI alert notes litigation as an option but does not predict an outcome. FBI/IC3 alert, August 11, 2023. |
| Private recovery service | A firm may claim it can trace transactions or help with a recovery effort. | Private firms cannot issue seizure orders, and paid recovery claims can expose victims to another scam. FBI/IC3 alert, August 11, 2023. |
Blockchain tracing can show where transactions moved, but it does not freeze funds or compel anyone to return them. An official investigation illustrates the distinction: authorities reported approximately $225 million in cryptocurrency seized in a particular crypto-confidence scam investigation after using blockchain analysis alongside other techniques. That case-specific seizure is not a typical outcome or a promise that victims in other cases will be repaid. FBI/Secret Service/U.S. Attorney’s Office information, 2025.
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The reviewed official materials do not establish a general recovery rate for victims of investment scams. Complaint totals and an individual seizure case cannot be used to calculate one.
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What to do after a suspected crypto investment scam
- Stop sending money. Do not pay a supposed tax, verification payment, release charge, or other fee to withdraw a balance shown on a suspicious site or app. The FBI warns that victims may still be unable to get funds back after paying imposed fees or taxes. FBI alert, March 14, 2023.
- Preserve records before accounts or messages disappear. Save transaction IDs or hashes, sending and receiving wallet addresses, currency and amount, date and time, exchange receipts, bank or card records, platform and app URLs, usernames, phone numbers, email addresses, messages, and screenshots. IC3 specifically requests cryptocurrency addresses, currency and amount, date and time, and transaction ID/hash. IC3 guidance, August 24, 2023; FBI/IC3 alert, August 11, 2023.
- Submit a report to IC3. Include the transaction details, not just a general account of what happened. You can also consider contacting your local FBI Field Office. Reporting guidance here is U.S.-specific. IC3 guidance, August 24, 2023.
- Contact any exchange or payment provider involved. Use contact information you find independently on the provider’s official site. Ask it to review the transactions; whether it can freeze an account depends on its procedures or legal process, so a report does not guarantee a freeze. FBI/IC3 alert, August 11, 2023.
- Secure accounts and financial information you may have exposed. If you shared passwords, identity details, or banking information, change affected passwords and contact relevant financial institutions through known official channels. Never share a wallet seed phrase or credentials with someone claiming to recover your funds. FBI/IC3 alert, June 5, 2024.
- Verify unexpected official-sounding contacts independently. A message claiming to come from IC3, the FBI, a law firm, or another government agency is not proof of affiliation. Use contact details published by the organization itself rather than links or phone numbers in the message. FBI/IC3 alert, June 5, 2024.
How to recognize a second recovery scam
Recovery scammers may approach victims through social media, messaging apps, ads, or comments. Warning signs include an unsolicited promise to get funds back, an upfront charge, demands for more money after an initial payment, requests for identity or banking details, or claims of special access to law enforcement or government records. The FBI has also warned about fictitious law firms using these tactics. FBI/IC3 alert, August 11, 2023; FBI/IC3 alert, June 5, 2024.
Between February 2023 and February 2024, victims further exploited by fictitious law firms reported over $9.9 million in losses to the FBI. That is a reported loss figure for that period, not a current total or a recovery rate. FBI/IC3 alert, June 5, 2024.
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A firm’s ability to trace transactions does not give it legal authority to seize cryptocurrency. The FBI states: “Private sector recovery companies cannot issue seizure orders to recover cryptocurrency.” FBI/IC3 alert, August 11, 2023. Do not pay an unsolicited service or send it sensitive information on the strength of a recovery promise.
What the reported numbers do—and do not—show
Official figures help describe the scale of reported fraud, not an individual victim’s odds of getting money back. The FBI’s IC3 reported more than $2.5 billion in cryptocurrency investment-fraud losses for 2022 in an August 2023 alert. Its 2025 Annual Report lists 10,516 cryptocurrency investment fraud complaints and $1.4 billion in reported losses for 2025. These are U.S. reports to IC3, not a count of all global losses or a recovery-rate measure. FBI/IC3 alert, August 11, 2023; FBI IC3 Annual Report, 2025.
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The 2025 report also lists 10,516 recovery-scam complaints. Its footnote says those losses may include losses from the earlier scam that led a victim to contact a recovery company, so they should not be treated as entirely new losses caused by recovery scammers. FBI IC3 Annual Report, 2025.
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No purchase can reverse a completed transfer or guarantee retrieval of funds. A hardware wallet may help secure cryptocurrency you still control, but it cannot undo an outgoing transaction. The FBI advises victims not to pay for services claiming they can recover lost funds. FBI alert, March 14, 2023.
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For readers outside the United States, the reporting contacts and legal remedies described here may not apply. Use the relevant law-enforcement and financial-regulatory reporting channels in your jurisdiction.
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