Crypto Recovery Scams: Fake Lawyers, Agents and Firms

How crypto recovery scams work

After a scam, victims are contacted by someone claiming to be a law firm, a crypto 'tracing' company, a regulator, or even the FBI or IC3. They may know exact amounts and dates from the earlier scam. They say they have found your funds and ask for an upfront fee, a 'retainer', taxes, or a deposit into a new account or platform. Some use fake government documents, fake agencies, spoofed IC3 websites, or AI-generated videos of officials. The money sent is lost, and the victim may be targeted again.

Signs a crypto recovery offer is a scam

Unsolicited contact offering to recover lost crypto, especially soon after you posted about or reported a scam.
Claims of working with or being authorized by the FBI, IC3, CFPB, or another agency.
References to agencies that do not exist, such as an 'International Financial Trading Commission'.
Upfront fees, retainers, 'processing' charges, or taxes before any money is returned.
Payment requested in crypto or prepaid cards.
They know exact details of your earlier losses.
They refuse video calls, will not show credentials, or only use WhatsApp group chats.
You are told you are on an official 'scam victim list' or asked to open a foreign bank account.
Social media profiles or ads claiming to be FBI agents or IC3; IC3 has no social media presence.

How to avoid crypto recovery scams

Never pay upfront for help recovering money.
Remember that law enforcement does not charge fees to investigate or return funds.
Reach IC3 only by typing www.ic3.gov into your browser; avoid sponsored search results.
Verify any claimed agent by calling your local FBI field office using a number you look up yourself.
Verify any lawyer through your state bar association, not contact details they give you.
Do not share wallet seed phrases, private keys, or remote access to your device with anyone.
Be cautious about posting publicly that you lost money, since scammers watch those posts.

Already paid a recovery scammer? What to do now

Stop all contact and stop paying.
Preserve evidence before anything disappears: screenshots of chats, profiles, websites and app screens, plus receipts, emails, and a written timeline. Do not delete conversations or the app. Note any names, 'case numbers', and websites the recovery scammer used.
Contact the exchange, crypto ATM operator, bank, or wallet provider you used right away. Ask them to flag the receiving address or account and to freeze funds if they can.
Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov and to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, even if the amount is small. Include wallet addresses, transaction IDs (hashes), amounts, dates, and every website, app, username, and phone number involved. See /guidance/report-crypto-theft-fbi-ic3. Mention that this was a recovery scam and include details of the original scam.
Adults 60 and older can call the DOJ National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311 for help.
Learn what legitimate tracing can and cannot do at /guidance/can-stolen-crypto-be-traced.

Crypto recovery scams: common questions

Is there a legit crypto recovery company?

No company can promise to get your crypto back. Only law enforcement and courts can seize funds or order them returned, and exchanges or stablecoin issuers can freeze funds in some cases. Legitimate tracing firms and attorneys can document where your funds went and support a police report or lawsuit. They won’t contact you out of the blue, guarantee results, ask for your seed phrase, or ask you to pay a “release fee” or “tax” to receive recovered money. (ChainWatch is a tracing firm. We don’t guarantee recovery.)

Someone says they’re from the FBI or IC3 and can recover my money. Is it real?

No. The FBI warns: “IC3 will never ask for payment to recover lost funds, nor will IC3 refer someone to a company requesting payment for recovering funds.” IC3 also says it will never contact individuals directly by phone, email, social media, apps or chat. To check a claimed agent, call your local FBI field office using a number you look up yourself.

A lawyer or law firm contacted me offering to recover my crypto. How can I check them?

Be careful: the FBI warns of fake law firms targeting scam victims, and says “there are no law firms which are officially authorized partners of US Government agencies.” Look the lawyer up yourself in your state bar’s directory, and contact the firm only through details you found independently, not the ones they gave you. Use our checklist: is this crypto lawyer or recovery firm real?

How did the recovery scammers know I’d been scammed?

Sometimes it’s the same criminal group running a second scam, and sometimes they find victims through public posts about a loss. Knowing exact amounts and dates doesn’t make them legitimate. It’s a warning sign.

They say my funds were recovered, but I have to pay a fee or deposit to receive them. Should I?

No. That is the scam. The FBI says “the US Government does not request payment for law enforcement services provided” (PSA250813), and a real return of funds never requires you to send more crypto first.

Crypto recovery scam statistics

IC3 received 10,516 recovery scam complaints with $1.4 billion in reported losses in 2025 (IC3 notes losses may include losses from the earlier scam). (source)
People 60 and older filed 2,529 recovery scam complaints reporting $540,505,980 in losses to IC3 in 2025. (source)

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This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. ChainWatch is not a law firm and does not guarantee fund recovery.

Sources

The information on this page was checked against the sources listed in September 2026. Laws, agency guidance, company policies and contact details change, so please verify the current information with the original source before you act.