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If you are in immediate danger, handle physical safety first
After a robbery, move to a safe location and contact emergency services or local law enforcement when appropriate. Do not stay near the scene to make account changes, and do not use a phone that may have been taken, unlocked, monitored, or tampered with for sensitive recovery work.
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Use a device you trust, ideally on a trusted network. If you borrow a computer or phone, avoid saving passwords, recovery codes, wallet data, or screenshots on it. Sign out when finished. A public or shared device is a temporary bridge, not a secure long-term workstation.
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How do I secure my crypto account after my phone was stolen?
Begin with the accounts that can reset everything else. Email is often an early target in a phone-number takeover. Control of the number can allow an attacker to request password resets for email, cloud storage, social media, financial services, and crypto accounts.
- Use a trusted device and connection. Do not perform the first recovery steps from the stolen phone or a device you suspect contains malware.
- Recover and secure your primary email. Change the password to a new, unique one that has never been used elsewhere. Review recent sign-ins, active sessions, forwarding rules, recovery addresses, recovery phone numbers, app passwords, and connected applications. Remove or investigate anything you do not recognize.
- Secure cloud and identity accounts. Change passwords for cloud storage and other accounts that hold identity documents, password-reset mail, screenshots, wallet backups, or financial information. Inspect logged-in devices and revoke unknown sessions.
- Change passwords for crypto services and financial accounts. Prioritize services that share a password with the exposed email or that use SMS for resets. Use a different password for every service.
- Review activity. Look for password changes, new withdrawal addresses, API keys, device enrollments, profile edits, transfers, and security alerts. Save evidence before deleting messages or sessions.
Changing an email password alone is not enough if an attacker still has an active session, a recovery method, an app password, or a forwarding rule. Treat each unknown device or authorization as an account-level incident until the provider confirms otherwise.
What should I do after a SIM swap or number takeover?
A sudden loss of cellular service, an unexpected “SIM activated” notice, or password-reset messages you did not request can indicate an unauthorized number transfer. Contact your carrier through a phone number or website you locate independently, not through a message that arrived during the incident.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minute- Tell the carrier that you suspect an unauthorized SIM change or number transfer. Ask it to investigate the transfer, restore control of the number, and secure the account against further changes.
- Set or replace the carrier account PIN. Use a unique PIN that is not used for your email, banking, exchange, or device unlock.
- Ask what additional protections are available. Carrier features differ. One FBI field office recommends asking whether account changes can require in-person handling; request that or an equivalent protection if the carrier offers it.
- Ask what happened and when. Record the time of any SIM activation, port-out request, account-profile change, or support interaction. Keep ticket numbers and the representative’s name.
Once an attacker controls your number, SMS-based multi-factor authentication and text-message password resets may no longer protect you. After the carrier has restored control, replace SMS verification on important accounts with a standalone authentication app or a physical security key where the provider supports it. Keep an account-recovery method that you can access without the same phone number.
Contact banks, card issuers, and payment services
If the stolen phone contained a banking app, payment wallet, saved cards, or email access, contact the relevant financial institutions through independently verified channels. Explain that the phone or number may have been compromised and ask the institution to flag suspicious access.
- Review recent transfers, card payments, beneficiary changes, new payees, device registrations, and password-reset events.
- Ask what the institution can lock, recall, or investigate. Do not assume a crypto transfer can be reversed; blockchain transactions may be irreversible once confirmed.
- Replace or suspend cards and mobile-wallet tokens if the institution advises it.
- Keep the institution’s case number and the exact time you reported the incident.
Use official statements and account activity to distinguish a confirmed transaction from an alert, a pending transfer, or a message designed to frighten you into calling a scammer.
Contact your exchange without being tricked
Scammers often impersonate exchange support after a theft. Navigate to the exchange by typing its known address yourself, using a bookmark you created previously, or finding contact details in an official account statement. Do not click a link or call a number supplied in an unsolicited “security” email, text, social-media message, or phone call.
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- Open the provider’s official site or app from your trusted device.
- Use the provider’s published support or account-lock procedure.
- State that you suspect unauthorized access, a SIM swap, or a stolen device.
- Ask the provider to secure the account and investigate withdrawals, address-book changes, API keys, and new devices.
- Record the case number and preserve every message.
Never disclose a password, one-time authentication code, seed phrase, private key, or recovery code to a caller or message sender. Legitimate support should not need your secret credentials to verify that you own an account. If a supposed representative pressures you to move funds to a “safe” wallet, install remote-access software, or read out a code, end the contact and restart through the official channel.
Protect a self-custody wallet without guessing
Exchange accounts and self-custody wallets create different response paths. An exchange may be able to freeze an account or investigate its internal records. A self-custody wallet generally gives control of signing credentials to the person who holds the private key or seed phrase. The available response therefore depends on what was exposed and on the wallet provider’s documented process.
Do not enter a seed phrase or private key into a website, support form, chat, or device you do not trust. Do not send the phrase to an alleged investigator. If you believe a seed phrase or private key was copied, use the wallet maker’s official guidance from a trusted device to determine whether and how to migrate assets. There is no universal, safe migration sequence that applies to every wallet, network, or token.
Similarly, do not assume that deleting an app, changing an exchange password, or remotely wiping a phone moves assets or invalidates a copied key. Device and wallet providers may offer different controls. Follow their official instructions and document every transaction you can identify.
Preserve transaction evidence before it disappears
Save records in their original form and keep a second copy in a secure location. Useful evidence includes:
- Wallet addresses involved in the outgoing and receiving transactions.
- Asset type, token or coin amount, and the network used.
- Date and time, including the time zone when known.
- Transaction hashes or IDs.
- The exchange, wallet, bank, carrier, or payment service involved.
- Screenshots of account alerts, login notices, withdrawal confirmations, and device lists.
- Emails, texts, direct messages, websites, phone numbers, email addresses, usernames, and payment instructions used by the suspect.
- Carrier and provider ticket numbers, representative names, and your incident timeline.
Do not edit screenshots to make them easier to read. Keep the original files and note any conversion or redaction you make for sharing. A block explorer can show public transaction data, but it does not identify a person or guarantee that funds can be recovered.
Report suspected cryptocurrency fraud promptly
For readers in the United States, the FBI directs victims to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and local law enforcement. Include the evidence above and explain what happened in chronological order. The FBI encourages reporting even when no financial loss occurred, because an attempted compromise can help connect related incidents.
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Report to the relevant exchange, bank, carrier, and other providers as well. Their internal records may contain login, device, IP, port-out, or withdrawal information that you cannot obtain yourself. Keep copies of every submission; reporting to one organization does not automatically notify the others.
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Readers outside the United States should use their local police, cybercrime reporting service, financial regulator, and service-provider procedures. The FBI and IC3 routes described here are U.S.-specific.
Can I get stolen crypto back?
Report the theft, preserve transaction details, and ask the exchange or wallet provider what investigation or account-protection measures are available. Do not promise yourself that a confirmed on-chain transfer can be reversed: blockchain settlement may be irreversible, and authorities cannot guarantee recovery.
A provider may be able to secure an account, identify activity in its own systems, or cooperate with a lawful investigation. Those possibilities are not the same as recovering assets. Be precise when describing the incident: distinguish an unauthorized login, a pending withdrawal, a completed transaction, and a suspected scam payment.
Watch for recovery scams
People who report theft are often targeted by a second wave of fraud. An unsolicited “recovery agent,” lawyer, investigator, exchange employee, or government official may claim to have located your coins and demand an advance fee, tax, unlock payment, or remote-access session.
- Do not pay an unsolicited service that promises guaranteed recovery.
- Do not share seed phrases, private keys, passwords, one-time codes, identity documents, or remote-control access with an unverified contact.
- Verify any organization independently and begin a new conversation through its published channel.
- Keep recovery claims and payment requests as evidence for your report.
Official FBI guidance warns that recovery services and claims that someone can retrieve lost funds may themselves be scams. Urgency, secrecy, guaranteed results, and requests to move funds to a new wallet are warning signs.
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Only after you have regained control and recorded the incident should you redesign authentication. The FBI favors standalone authentication apps or physical security keys over SMS where available. Each provider has its own compatibility and recovery rules.
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| Authentication method | Relationship to the phone number | Recovery considerations | Practical fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMS codes | Depends on control of the mobile number | A SIM swap can redirect codes; carrier security remains critical | Use only when stronger supported options are unavailable |
| Standalone authentication app | Does not require SMS delivery for each code | Back up the app or recovery material securely according to the provider’s instructions | Prefer where the account supports it and you can maintain a safe backup |
| FIDO2-compatible physical security key | Does not depend on the compromised phone number | Check provider support and keep a spare or documented recovery path securely | Optional preventive purchase for compatible accounts; not an emergency recovery tool |
Use a unique password for every important account and store it in a password manager you trust. Review recovery email addresses, phone numbers, trusted devices, active sessions, API credentials, withdrawal allowlists, and notification settings. Remove access that you cannot explain, then monitor for new alerts.
A physical FIDO2 key cannot reverse a transfer, restore a stolen seed phrase, or recover assets that have already moved. Its value is preventive: it can make a compatible account harder to access with a stolen password or intercepted SMS code.
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Secure the devices and data involved
Stolen devices and malware can expose data stored on the device. Use the device maker’s official support from a trusted device to review available lock, sign-out, account-removal, backup, and remote-wipe controls. Exact steps vary by operating system, account configuration, and whether the device was online.
Do not assume a remote wipe proves that a thief never copied data. Treat saved passwords, screenshots, email attachments, authenticator backups, wallet files, and cloud-synced documents as potentially exposed until you have reviewed and replaced the relevant credentials or records.
After the immediate incident, update supported operating systems and apps, remove software you do not recognize, and review browser extensions and saved sessions. If you suspect malware or cannot establish that a device is clean, use another trusted device for account recovery and seek qualified device-support help.
A practical follow-up checklist
- Confirm that your physical safety and primary email are under control.
- Verify the mobile number with the carrier and add a carrier PIN or equivalent protection.
- Change every exposed or reused password to a unique password.
- Revoke unknown sessions, devices, app passwords, API keys, and connected applications.
- Replace SMS-only authentication where compatible, using an authenticator app or security key.
- Check exchange, wallet, bank, card, and payment activity for unauthorized changes.
- Preserve hashes, addresses, amounts, dates, messages, screenshots, and case numbers.
- Report to the exchange, carrier, financial institutions, law enforcement, and the appropriate cybercrime service.
- Ignore unsolicited recovery offers and never disclose secret credentials.
- Continue monitoring alerts and account activity for new unauthorized access.
As Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett of the FBI San Francisco Division said on March 6, 2019: “The FBI wants to help individuals make themselves harder targets and, if they are victimized, to quickly regain control of their accounts to mitigate any potential harm.”
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