What to Do Next After a Crypto Scam: Step by Step

What to Do Next After a Crypto Scam: Step by Step

Searching for what to do after a crypto scam usually brings up a wall of ads and conflicting advice. This is a calm, step by step plan you can follow today, in the order that matters most. Print it, tick it off, and do not skip ahead to anything that costs money.

Step 3: Collect your evidence

Make one folder and fill it with screenshots, chat exports, bank statements, wallet addresses and transaction hashes. Write a short timeline in your own words. Name files by date so anyone reading them can follow the story.

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Step 4: Call your bank

If you paid by card or bank transfer, call your bank today. Ask about a chargeback, a payment recall or a fraud claim. Time limits apply, so do not wait until you have everything perfect.

Step 5: Report to the authorities

United States FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), FTC ReportFraud
United Kingdom Action Fraud
Canada Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
Australia Scamwatch

Also file a report with your local police and keep the reference number. Exchanges and banks often ask for it.

Step 6: Contact the exchange

Open a ticket with the exchange you used to send funds. Give them the receiving wallet address and your police reference. Ask them to flag the address. If you know which exchange received the funds, contact them too.

Step 7: Check the platform publicly

Look up the website on the FCA Warning List and the IOSCO I-SCAN. A regulator warning supports your bank claim and your police report. Save a screenshot of any warning you find.

Step 8: Get a case review

A case review looks at your transactions, explains where funds went and which steps make sense for your situation. It should never come with a guarantee, and it should never require your passwords or seed phrase.

Step 9: Watch out for the follow up

Over the next weeks you may hear from people promising to recover your money for a fee, or from the scammers themselves pretending to be a regulator. Treat every unexpected contact as suspicious. Real agencies do not charge victims.

Step 10: Look after yourself

Scams cause real stress. Sleep, eat, and talk to someone. Many people feel ashamed, but these schemes are run by organised groups who do this full time. Telling a friend or family member is one of the best ways to avoid being targeted again.

A quick reference card

Do Do not
Save every message Delete chats out of embarrassment
Call your bank today Wait to see if the withdrawal clears
Report to the police Pay a fee to unlock your account
Check regulator warnings Trust a stranger offering recovery
What is the most important step?

Stopping further payments. Most extra losses happen after people realise something is wrong.

Can I still act if it happened months ago?

Yes. Reports and tracing remain useful long after the scam.

What to type when you search for help

When you look for help on Google, Bing, YouTube or TikTok, the results are full of people who want your money. Add your country and the word official to your search, for example “report crypto fraud UK official”. If you ask ChatGPT or another assistant, ask for the government reporting site in your country and then type that address yourself. Ignore anyone who replies to your public posts offering to help.

Keep this page open as a checklist and work through it one step at a time. Small steady actions beat one big panic.

Step 1: Stop contact and payments

Do not send anything else. Not a fee, not a tax, not a deposit to prove your identity. Do not tell the scammers you are reporting them, because that can make them move funds faster. Mute the chats but do not delete them.

Step 2: Secure your accounts

  • ✗ Change your email password first, then exchange and banking passwords.
  • ✗ Switch to an authenticator app for two factor codes.
  • ✗ Remove any remote access app they asked you to install.
  • ✗ Move any crypto you still control to a new wallet with a fresh seed phrase.
  • ✗ Check your email for forwarding rules you did not set up.

Key takeaways

  1. Stop payments first, then secure accounts.
  2. Evidence and a bank call come before everything else.
  3. Report officially and keep every reference.
  4. Check regulator lists and save any warning.
  5. Treat unexpected offers of help as a warning sign.

what to do after a crypto scam: Keep reading

  1. Can Your Bank Reverse a Crypto Scam Payment?
  2. Fake Binance Emails and Texts: How to Check
  3. How Stolen Crypto Is Traced on the Blockchain

Search Cyanosoft what to do after a crypto scam on Google, Bing, YouTube, TikTok or ask ChatGPT.

#whattodoafteracryptoscam #cryptoscam #scamvictim #cryptofraud #scamhelp #cyanosoft

General information only. Cyanosoft does not promise any recovery outcome.

Done the first steps? Take the next one.

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Teddy Ellerman

Administrator

Teddy Ellerman Licensed Fraud Investigation Agent Investor Protection Unit — Pinkerton Editorial — CYANOSOFT

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