If you suspect your crypto exchange account has been compromised, contact the exchange through its independently verified official site or app, secure the account and its recovery email, preserve transaction evidence, and report the incident promptly. Don’t click links in unexpected “account compromised” messages or pay anyone promising to recover your crypto.
First, work out what may have been compromised
“The exchange was hacked” can describe different events, and a suspicious message alone does not prove the exchange suffered a breach. Your individual login may have been taken over; someone may have accessed your email, phone, or device and used it to reset your password; or the exchange may have announced a broader security incident. These possibilities can overlap. Follow breach-specific instructions only when they appear in a verified exchange notice.
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Whether the assets are still in your exchange account or have already moved, and whether a transfer is pending or completed, can affect what options the provider may have. The available response depends on the exchange and circumstances; don’t assume it can freeze funds or reverse a completed transaction.
What to do immediately
1. Stop interacting with suspicious contacts
If someone unexpectedly says your account is compromised, pause before replying, clicking a link, calling a number they provide, downloading anything, or sharing a code. Scammers impersonate exchange staff and may create urgency to obtain login or identity information. Find the exchange’s official site or phone number independently and check your account there. The FBI’s August 1, 2024 warning about cryptocurrency-exchange impersonation says: “If anyone asks for your account log-in information at any point, do not provide it.”
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Do not transfer funds to a supposed “safe wallet” because an unsolicited caller or message tells you to. Treat urgent requests for authentication codes or remote-access software as suspicious.
2. Contact the exchange through an official channel
Open the exchange’s official app or type its known web address yourself. If you cannot verify the address, use contact details from a source you locate independently—not an unsolicited message or search-ad phone number. Report the suspected compromise promptly and share relevant transaction details through the provider’s official case process.
Ask whether the exchange can restrict account access, secure the login, review withdrawals, or explain any incident-specific recovery process. These are questions to ask, not protections or remedies every exchange offers. The FTC’s scam-response guidance says to “Contact the cryptocurrency exchange or ATM operator immediately” about a fraudulent crypto payment and ask whether it can reverse and refund the transaction. That is a request, not a guarantee: the FTC notes crypto payments do not have the same legal protections as credit and debit card payments, so recovery can be difficult.
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3. Secure your exchange login and recovery routes
If you can still access the exchange account, change its password to a unique one and change it anywhere else you reused it. Sign out other devices or sessions if the option is available, enable the available two-factor authentication (2FA), and check that the recovery email address and phone number belong to you. FTC guidance on recovering hacked email and social accounts supports these account-security steps; exact exchange settings vary.
Secure the email account used to recover the exchange login. Someone with access to your inbox may be able to request password-reset links for other accounts. Change its password, enable available 2FA, and review recovery details and forwarding rules. If you are locked out, use the email provider’s official recovery process.
If your phone or computer may have been accessed, avoid sensitive logins from that device until its security software is up to date and a scan is complete. The FTC recommends updating security software and scanning after a scammer has accessed a device.
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4. Preserve evidence
Save exchange notices and case numbers, emails (including full headers when possible), texts, screenshots, wallet addresses, and any relevant messages. Record the cryptocurrency type and amount, transaction ID or hash, and the dates and times involved. Keep potentially relevant messages intact.
The FBI’s guidance for cryptocurrency scam victims lists transaction addresses, amount and type, dates and times, and transaction IDs as useful details. It also says: “If you do not have transaction information, please still submit a report to the FBI IC3 and provide as much information as you have.” Never post or send passwords, seed phrases, private keys, or one-time codes publicly; share necessary evidence only through independently verified official support or reporting channels.
5. Report the incident
For incidents in the United States, report suspected cryptocurrency fraud promptly to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) or contact a local FBI field office. The FTC also lists reporting routes for crypto scams, including the FTC, the CFTC, the SEC, IC3, and the exchange used to send funds. Which regulator is relevant depends on the facts; this does not mean every token or exchange is overseen by every agency.
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If bank or card details were exposed, contact the relevant financial institution promptly. If identity information was exposed, the CFTC’s identity-theft guidance describes options such as credit-report fraud alerts and security freezes. These U.S. reporting routes are not universal: readers elsewhere should contact the relevant local police, financial regulator, or cybercrime agency.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you get stolen crypto back?
Contacting the exchange quickly is worthwhile, but recovery is not assured. Ask the provider whether it can take action in your specific case and request an explanation of any available process. The FTC says getting crypto payments back can be difficult; the available evidence does not establish a universal reversal, reimbursement, or account-freeze policy across exchanges.
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Watch for recovery scams
After a theft, someone may contact you claiming they can recover the crypto for an upfront tax, unlock fee, or recovery charge. The FBI warns that recovery claims can be another scam. Do not pay, give a stranger remote access to a device, or share wallet credentials, a seed phrase, or more funds. Report suspicious outreach through official channels.
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