Report Crypto Theft
Emergency protocol
Published: date not recorded · Last updated: date not recorded · Editorial policy
Police first — opens the case. Exchange second — may freeze funds. Public database third — warns the next victim. Save evidence now; chats and profiles vanish fast.
Every destination below is official or public. None charges a recovery fee.
The first hour
01
Stop the bleeding (minutes 0-10)
Disconnect the affected wallet from every site, revoke the token approvals you signed, and move any remaining funds to a brand-new wallet with a new seed phrase. Never reuse the exposed one.
02
Freeze the evidence (minutes 10-30)
Screenshot the chat, profile, website and payment screen before they vanish. Copy the transaction hashes, the receiving addresses, the token contract, the exact domain and the dates and times.
03
Write the one-page summary (minutes 30-60)
One page, plain language, chronological: what you were promised, what you sent, when, to which address, on which network, and how much in your own currency on that date. Every body below asks for exactly this.
A scan report from our free checker works as an attachment for all of this: it lists the red flags found, the date and a permanent link, with your pasted text redacted.
Turn the mess into an evidence pack
Our free checker records the red flags, date and a permanent redacted link you can attach to your complaint.
How to report crypto theft in Germany
Use the online portal when the suspect is unknown and no violence was involved. For complex or cross-border cases, file with the federal intake as well.
Germany, online report
Polizei-Beratung — online police complaint
Official state-police guidance and intake for filing a criminal complaint (Strafanzeige). Use it for fraud, phishing and unauthorized transfers when the suspect is unknown and no violence was involved. Keep the reference number for any follow-up.
Germany, free guidance
Verbraucherzentrale — consumer advice
Free consumer-protection advice. They will not recover crypto, but they tell you which authority to contact and how to document the case before you file.
International: How to report crypto theft in the US and EU
United States
FBI IC3
The federal intake for internet crime, including crypto fraud. Accepts reports from abroad when a US platform, company or victim is involved.
United States
FTC — ReportFraud
Consumer-protection intake. Feeds the database law enforcement searches, and it takes minutes.
Global, public database
Chainabuse
Public on-chain abuse reports. Exchanges and analytics firms read it, so a flagged address can be blocked before the next victim pays.
European Union, national channels
Europol: report cybercrime online (choose your country)
Europol's reporting hub sends your case to the national cybercrime unit of the country you pick. Use it when the fraud crossed borders inside the EU; it is a referral point, not a substitute for the police report in your own country.
Everywhere, fastest lever
Your exchange and your bank
If any leg of the transfer touched an exchange or a card, contact their fraud team the same day with the hashes — frozen funds are the only funds ever returned.
Before you file
Crypto theft evidence checklist
Collect what investigators can act on. Never include a seed phrase or private key.
Police report or case number
Every transaction hash (TXID) and receiving wallet
Network, token, amount, date, time and fiat value
Original chats, screenshots, profiles, adverts and websites
Exact domains, usernames, phone numbers and email addresses
Exchange or bank receipts and recipient details
A one-page chronology from first contact to discovery
Original files as well as screenshots — never crop dates or URLs
One incident, four reports
1. Police
Opens the criminal case.
2. Exchange
May preserve records and freeze funds.
3. Bank
Attempts recall or chargeback.
4. Chainabuse
Warns exchanges and other victims.
Official directory
Where to report crypto theft by country
Open your country for the correct filing route and direct official links.
Copy, replace, send
Crypto theft complaint templates
Replace every item in [BRACKETS]. Keep claims factual and attach evidence separately.
Redact identity documents and home addresses before any public report. Send unredacted evidence only through official police, bank or exchange channels.
The second robbery starts here
What never to do after a theft
- Never pay a “recovery expert”, “blockchain lawyer” or “fund retrieval agent” who contacts you after the theft. This is a second scam aimed at the same victim list, and it is the single most common follow-up we document.
- Never send a fee to “unlock”, “release”, “verify” or “convert” money you supposedly still have on their platform.
- Never hand your seed phrase, private key or remote-access session to anyone offering help, including someone claiming to be from your wallet or exchange.
- Never accept a “refund” that requires you to first receive and forward a payment — that makes you the money mule.
The blockchain is irreversible. Anyone selling a private undo button is selling you the sequel.
Understand what hit you
Naming the method makes your complaint far stronger. Our 53 published investigations break down the exact scripts, contracts and domains used, so you can point to a documented pattern instead of describing a feeling.
Questions victims ask
Where do I report stolen cryptocurrency?
To the police in your own country first, because that is the only report that opens a case. In Germany that is the state police online complaint (Polizei-Beratung), with free guidance from Verbraucherzentrale. Then report the addresses publicly on Chainabuse and notify any exchange involved.
Can stolen crypto actually be recovered?
Sometimes, and almost only when the funds reach a regulated exchange that can freeze them while a case is open. That is why speed and a clean list of transaction hashes matter far more than any paid service.
Is it worth reporting if the amount is small?
Yes. Cases are grouped by address, domain and method, so a small report can be the one that links a larger investigation — and it puts the indicators in databases other people check before they pay.
What information should I have ready before filing?
Transaction hashes, the receiving addresses, the network, the exact domain or app, the usernames and phone numbers used to contact you, the dates and times, the amount in your own currency on that date, and your screenshots.
Someone offered to get my money back for a fee. Should I?
No. Recovery-for-a-fee offers that arrive after a theft are a second fraud in nearly every documented case. Official bodies never charge, and no private party can reverse a blockchain transaction.
This page is free public-interest information, not legal advice. Official procedures and web addresses change — always confirm the current process on the body's own site before filing.