Sent Crypto to a Scammer? First Steps and Where to Report It

If you sent crypto to a scammer, start with the steps after a cryptocurrency scam: stop paying, call the bank or card issuer that funded the purchase, tell the exchange or crypto ATM operator that sent the crypto, save the evidence and report it where you live. A crypto payment typically cannot be reversed, and anyone claiming they can recover your funds may be running another scam (opens in a new tab).

Can you get bitcoin back after being scammed?

As of October 2026, in the US, the FTC says crypto payments do not have the same legal protections as credit and debit cards (opens in a new tab), so it can be hard to get your money back. With crypto you can usually only get your money back if the person you paid sends it back (opens in a new tab).

So the transfer itself is usually not the part you can stop. What you can still act on is any card or bank payment that funded the purchase, the platform that sent the crypto (it may refuse or be unable to help), and every payment the scammer still asks for. The steps below follow that order.

What to do first, step by step

These steps reflect official guidance as of October 2026. Work through them in order, and do the first three before you spend time on the rest.

1. Stop paying and stop all contact

   Do not argue with the scammer. Any new demand is the scam continuing, whether it is called a retainer fee, a processing fee, an administrative charge or a tax. ESMA advises (opens in a new tab) anyone already in contact with fraudsters to stop all interactions.

2. Call the bank or card issuer that funded the purchase

   If bank or card money paid for the crypto, call using the number on the back of your card or the bank's own app, not a number from a message or a search. Explain what happened and ask what it can do.

   The FTC's advice (opens in a new tab) is to report it to your bank or card issuer immediately and ask it to reverse the payment (bank transfer) or refund your money (card). That advice covers people who paid a scammer directly by bank transfer or by card. If your money went to your own exchange account first, the bank may not be able to reverse it, so ask what your options are and write down who you spoke to.

3. Tell the exchange or crypto ATM operator that sent the crypto

   If you paid with crypto, contact the exchange or ATM operator immediately (opens in a new tab), tell them it was a fraudulent transaction and ask them to reverse the transaction and refund your money. It is a request, and they may refuse or be unable to reverse it.

   Ask what they can do and keep a record of the reply. Give them the date, the amount and the address you sent to.

4. Secure your accounts

   If you gave the scammer a login and can still log in, create a new, strong password for that account, change it anywhere you reused it, and turn on two-factor authentication. The FTC gives these steps for that case. Do it from a device you trust.

   To sign out other sessions, follow what to do if you think someone got into your exchange account.

   A self-custody wallet that has been emptied is a separate problem from the one on this page.

5. Save the evidence

   Take screenshots now and collect the items in the evidence list. You will need them for every call and report.

6. Report it in your country

   To report crypto scam losses, use the routes for your country. Keep any reference number with your evidence.

Evidence to save before you report

For a crypto scam, the most important information you can give is the transaction details (opens in a new tab). Gather:

• The date and time, the amount and the type of crypto for each payment.
• The transaction ID for each payment: a long string of letters and numbers that identifies one transfer (see how to track a crypto transaction).
• The wallet addresses and bank accounts you were told to pay.
• The names, email addresses, phone numbers and profile names the scammer used, and your emails, texts and chats.
• The websites and apps the scammer told you to use, and which exchanges you used to send or receive funds.
• Bank, card or kiosk receipts, and a short timeline of how you met the scammer.

Make a copy of any screenshots, emails and chat logs before you remove anything from a website (opens in a new tab) or other public forum. If you are missing some details, still report with what you have.

Where to report a crypto scam

As of October 2026, use the routes for the country you live in. Some countries list more than one place to report, such as the police and the financial regulator.

United States

Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab), the page the FTC points crypto victims to (opens in a new tab). You can also report to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3 at ic3.gov (opens in a new tab)), which describes itself as the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime.

United Kingdom

Report Fraud (opens in a new tab) is the national reporting service, or call 0300 123 2040. It replaced Action Fraud (opens in a new tab) in December 2025. If you live in Scotland, the FCA says (opens in a new tab) to report to Police Scotland by calling 101.

After that, report the firm to the FCA through its report-a-scam page. If you cannot find the firm on the FCA's Firm Checker, the FCA asks you to call 0800 111 6768. The FCA can only look into scams that involve financial services it regulates, and it cannot help you get your money back.

European Union and EEA

ESMA tells victims (opens in a new tab) to report the case to local police and to inform your National Competent Authority, which is your country's financial regulator.

If you live in Ireland and were approached about an investment scam or think you are a victim, the Central Bank of Ireland says (opens in a new tab) you can report the unauthorised firm through its report page (opens in a new tab). It adds that you may also report the matter to An Garda Siochana (opens in a new tab).

Canada

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says (opens in a new tab) victims or witnesses can report online at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca (opens in a new tab), or by phone, toll free, at 1-888-495-8501. It also asks victims to contact their local police as soon as possible.

Australia

The Victorian Government says (opens in a new tab) that if you have lost funds or information, make a report to ReportCyber (opens in a new tab), an online system run by the Australian Cyber Security Centre. If you were targeted but lost no money or personal information, it points to Scamwatch (opens in a new tab).

Other countries

The FCA advises (opens in a new tab) people based outside the UK to speak first to their local police and their home regulator. Look up your country's financial regulator and ask it where to report.

Example: a made-up loss and what each step saves

This is a made-up example with round numbers and no real platform. The reader buys $1,000 of crypto on an exchange by bank transfer, then sends all of it to a "trading platform" a new online contact recommended.

The screen shows a balance of $1,300. Trying to withdraw, the reader is told to pay a $260 "tax" first.

• Step 1: the reader refuses the $260 and stops replying. The loss stays at $1,000 instead of $1,260.
• Step 2: the reader calls the bank, explains, and asks what it can do. The $1,000 went to the reader's own exchange account first, so the bank may not be able to reverse it.
• Step 3: the reader tells the exchange the sends were fraudulent and asks for a reversal.
• Steps 5 and 6: the reader saves the transaction ID and the address, then reports.
• A week later a "recovery agent" messages offering to get the $1,000 back for a fee. The reader does not reply.

The loss here stops at $1,000 because the reader refused the next payment. The numbers are invented, and the same sums work in any currency.

Offers to recover your crypto

As of October 2026, the IC3 says (opens in a new tab) it "does not work with any non-law enforcement entity, such as law firms or crypto services, to recuperate lost funds". It also says it will never directly contact you for information or money. Never pay upfront for a refund or help with a refund (opens in a new tab), and do not trust anyone who says they can recover money you lost for a fee.

Risks to understand

You may not get your money back, even after you file a report. Scammers buy, sell and trade lists of people who have paid scammers (opens in a new tab), expecting them to be good targets again, so recovery offers and fake agency calls can follow. Sending more to "unlock" funds only increases the loss.

Reports still matter: in the US, they let the FTC build cases against scammers and spot trends (opens in a new tab). Before you send money anywhere again, read how to spot crypto scams and how to secure your exchange account.