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What to Do If You Bought a Scam Crypto Token

If you bought a scam crypto token, stop sending funds, contact the payment operator, preserve evidence, and report the incident. A refund is not guaranteed.
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Stop sending money, contact the exchange or crypto ATM operator that handled the transaction, preserve the evidence, and report the scam. Ask whether the transaction can be reversed, but do not assume it can be: crypto payments do not carry the same protections as card payments. Never pay an unsolicited person or firm that promises to recover your funds.

What to do first

  1. Stop payments and stop following instructions. Do not send more cryptocurrency for supposed taxes, account unlocking, verification, or another investment. These demands can be part of the same fraud or a follow-on recovery scam.
  2. Contact the exchange or ATM operator promptly. Explain that the transaction was fraudulent and ask whether it can be reversed or the funds otherwise held. Use contact information found independently on the operator’s official website, not a number or link sent by the suspected scammer. The FTC recommends reporting the payment to the relevant operator immediately, while warning that crypto can be difficult to get back.
  3. Secure exposed accounts. If you shared a password, account access, or identity information, contact the relevant service through its independently verified official channel and follow its account-security steps. Do not give a caller or message sender your login details, seed phrase, or other credentials.
  4. Save the evidence before conversations or pages disappear. Keep transaction records and communications, including any later recovery offer. A well-documented report can help authorities understand what happened, though preserving evidence does not ensure a refund.
  5. Report the incident. In the United States, file a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also contact a local FBI field office. Outside the U.S., use local law-enforcement and consumer-fraud reporting channels.

Can you get the crypto back?

There is no reliable basis for promising that a completed crypto transfer will be recovered. The FTC says cryptocurrency payments lack the same legal protections as credit and debit card payments and may be difficult to retrieve. Still, contact the exchange or ATM operator promptly and ask whether it can reverse the transaction or take other action.

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An exchange may freeze an account through its own internal process or in response to legal process; that is not the same as a private company being able to seize funds. The FBI states: “Private sector recovery companies cannot issue seizure orders to recover cryptocurrency.” A report or request is a practical step, not a guarantee or prediction of a refund.

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How to report the scam effectively

Give the reporting agency a clear timeline and the identifiers that connect your payment, the token, and the people or platforms involved. The FBI asks for transaction and contact details that can help make a report actionable.

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  • Token and promotion: token name, ticker, contract address if known, and the website or app where it was promoted.
  • Transactions: transaction hash or ID, sending and receiving wallet addresses, amount and type of cryptocurrency, and date and time.
  • Payment route: exchange, broker, kiosk, or ATM used, plus receipts and account or payment records.
  • People and services: names or aliases, phone numbers, email addresses, social media handles, websites, messaging services, and any platform or domain involved.
  • What happened: how contact began, what returns were promised, when withdrawals failed, and what further payments were demanded.
  • Follow-on contact: messages, screenshots, or transaction details for anyone who later claimed they could recover the funds, including any money or information you gave them.

Keep copies of messages, emails, screenshots, URLs, usernames, telephone numbers, receipts, and notes about the sequence of events. Submit copies when requested and retain your originals.

How to recognize a recovery scam

After an initial loss, a supposed recovery firm, tracing expert, lawyer, government agent, or exchange representative may contact you. Treat unsolicited promises of guaranteed recovery with suspicion, especially if the person asks for a seed phrase, account credentials, personal or banking information, or an upfront fee. Demands described as taxes, release charges, or costs to unlock recovered funds are also warning signs.

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The FBI warns that fictitious law firms may request upfront fees and sensitive information. It says law enforcement does not charge victims to investigate crimes. The FTC’s advice is direct: “Never pay upfront for a refund or help with a refund.” Legitimate government agencies and organizations do not require payment to help obtain a refund. Include recovery approaches in your report about the original scam.

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What the reported figures show—and what they do not

IC3 received 61,559 cryptocurrency-related complaints reporting $7.228 billion in losses in 2025. Compared with 2024, cryptocurrency-related complaints increased 48% and reported losses increased 25%. These are complaint and reported-loss totals, not counts of every victim, and they do not indicate an individual’s chance of recovery.

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In a separate warning, IC3 reported that victims further exploited by fictitious law firms lost over $9.9 million between February 2023 and February 2024. That figure concerns reported losses to that particular follow-on scheme, not all recovery fraud. See the FBI’s April 10, 2024 warning about fictitious law firms and the IC3 2025 annual report.

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If your case is outside the United States

The reporting routes and guidance above are U.S. federal sources. If you are elsewhere, report the fraud to your national or local law-enforcement agency and consumer-fraud authority, and contact the exchange or ATM operator that handled the payment. The available guidance here does not establish the rules or recovery options for every country, exchange, or transaction.

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