Where to Report a Crypto Scam

If you think you’ve been scammed, do this first

1. Stop sending money. Scammers often ask for “fees” or “taxes” to release your funds. Those payments go to the scammer too.
2. Don’t share more information. Never share a seed phrase, private key, password, or verification code.
3. Write everything down. Save wallet addresses, transaction IDs, screenshots, website addresses, usernames, phone numbers, and emails.
4. Contact the platform you sent from, using only its official website or app. Ask it to flag the destination address and secure your account.
5. Report it to the agencies below. Reports help investigators link cases, even when money can’t be recovered.

Federal agencies

• FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): report online fraud, including crypto investment and romance scams, at ic3.gov (opens in a new tab).
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC): report scams and fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab).
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): submit a complaint about a financial product or company at consumerfinance.gov/complaint (opens in a new tab).
• Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): report investment fraud or a suspicious investment offer at sec.gov/tcr (opens in a new tab).
• Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC): report fraud involving crypto trading at cftc.gov/complaint (opens in a new tab).
• Identity theft: if your personal information was stolen, report it and get a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov (opens in a new tab).

Not sure which agency fits? USA.gov lists them at usa.gov/where-report-scams (opens in a new tab).

State agencies

• Your state attorney general: find yours through the National Association of Attorneys General at naag.org/find-my-ag (opens in a new tab).
• Your state financial regulator: many crypto companies are licensed as money transmitters by state banking or financial regulators. The Conference of State Bank Supervisors lists each state’s agency at csbs.org (opens in a new tab).
• Check a company’s license: search NMLS Consumer Access (opens in a new tab), a free service for confirming whether a financial services company is authorized to do business in your state.

If an older adult was targeted

If the victim is 60 or older, the US Department of Justice’s National Elder Fraud Hotline can help report the fraud and connect them with other resources at no cost. Find the hotline number and hours on the Office for Victims of Crime’s website (opens in a new tab).

The Office for Victims of Crime warns that scammers sometimes pretend to be from the hotline. Never give personal information or money to a caller who claims to be from it.