Crypto scam: what to do
If you have been scammed with crypto, what you do in the first days matters. I explain the steps and how a tracing report supports the police complaint.
Member of AEPEJU (no. 1556). Barcelona and across Spain.
First things first, in this order
Act fast and in this order: every day counts for the funds to stay traceable.
- Stop paying. Fees or taxes to release your funds are part of the scam.
- Be wary of anyone offering to recover the money in exchange for an upfront payment: it is the most common second scam after the first.
- Keep everything: conversations, the website or app, emails and, above all, the transaction hashes and the addresses you sent to.
- Do not delete the app or the wallet.
- Report it as soon as possible to the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Policía Nacional or the Guardia Civil.
- Talk to a lawyer: they can ask the court for measures over the funds.
The most common scams
Almost all follow the same pattern: winning your trust, getting you to send funds and then asking for more payments to release them.
- Fake brokers and investment platforms with guaranteed returns.
- Romance investment scams: someone you meet on social media or dating apps who guides you into investing.
- Phishing: websites, emails or messages imitating an exchange to steal your credentials.
- Fake technical support asking for your seed phrase.
- Fake fund recovery companies.
- If your wallet was drained after signing a transaction (a drainer), it is a hack: explained on the wallet or exchange hack page.
Can the money be recovered?
Sometimes, and it is never guaranteed. Money is recovered when the funds reach an exchange or a service that can freeze them, the court acts in time and the account holder can be identified.
If the money went through mixers or ended up in the scammer's own wallet, it is much harder. Tracing is not recovering: the tracing is the technical basis for your lawyer and the court to try, and speed is what matters most.
What a tracing report adds
It turns your complaint into more than a story: transactions, addresses and where the funds went, explained for the court.
I follow your funds from your transactions as far as they can be followed, and I identify which exchange or service they enter. The exchange is where identity data on the account holder usually exists. With the report, your lawyer and the court can request that identity and ask for a freeze. Each hop carries its degree of certainty and can be checked on public explorers. I work with Bitcoin, Ethereum and its L2s, and tokens such as USDT.
How to spot a fake recovery company
If it promises to recover your money in exchange for an upfront payment, it is almost certainly a second scam.
An expert witness does not recover funds or charge a percentage of what is recovered: they sign a report with their name and answer for it in court.
- It contacts you, often shortly after the scam.
- It guarantees results or quotes very high success rates.
- It asks for upfront payments, in crypto or as fees to release the funds.
- It asks for your seed phrase or remote access to your computer.
- There is no identifiable person behind it: no name and no verifiable credential.
What I need from you
With this I can assess the case in the free consultation and give you a fixed quote.
- Transaction hashes or the history of your wallet or exchange account.
- The addresses you sent the funds to.
- Approximate dates and amounts.
- The conversations with the scammers and the website or app they used.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this kind of report.
Is it possible to recover scammed crypto?
Sometimes, but nobody honest can guarantee it. It depends on the funds reaching an exchange that can freeze them and on the court acting in time.
How long do I have to act?
The sooner the better. Funds still at an exchange can be frozen; those that have already gone through mixers or been withdrawn are harder to follow.
How do I tell a genuine expert from another scam?
An expert has a verifiable name and credential, does not contact you first, does not ask for your keys and does not charge a percentage of what is recovered.
What is the difference between an expert witness and a lawyer?
The lawyer defends your interests and asks the court for measures; the expert provides the objective technical analysis, the tracing of the funds, that supports those requests.
Is the report worth it if the amount is small?
I tell you frankly in the free consultation. Sometimes a well-documented police complaint is enough and paying for tracing makes no sense.
Do you take cases outside Barcelona or from abroad?
Yes, across Spain and for victims abroad whose case is in Spain. All the work can be done remotely and court testimony can be given by video link.
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