Cryptocurrency scam: can your funds be traced?

Why cryptocurrency complicates recovery

A cryptocurrency transaction is irreversible: there is no recall as with a bank wire. Fraudsters then fragment the funds across dozens of addresses, sometimes through mixing services, to blur the trail.

The good news: all of this leaves public traces. Every movement is permanently recorded on the blockchain, and analyzing those traces is work we do.

What tracing can establish

• The complete path of the funds from your payment to the destination addresses.
• The exchange platforms where funds were deposited for conversion, often subject to know-your-customer obligations.
• A documented tracing file, usable by banks, authorities and lawyers to request freezing and restitution.

The fake crypto recovery trap

Victims of cryptocurrency scams are heavily recontacted by so-called recovery agents promising a guaranteed result for upfront fees, often paid in cryptocurrency. That is a second fraud. No serious practitioner guarantees recovery, and none gets paid in cryptocurrency or gift cards.

Our approach

• A free, honest assessment: if tracing has no reasonable chance of leading anywhere, we tell you and stop there.
• Evidence preservation: exchanges with the fraudsters, wallet addresses, statements, screenshots.
• Blockchain tracing to the identifiable exit platforms.
• Submissions to the platforms, reports to the authorities and, where justified, recourse through our partner law firms in the relevant jurisdiction.

When you should stay realistic

Funds that went through mixing services and were dispersed to uncooperative platforms become very hard to reach. In those situations the case file still has value: reporting to authorities, protecting other victims, supporting an insurance claim where applicable. But we will not charge you for work we know has little chance of succeeding.