What to do now
Before you send crypto: how to spot the scam
Last checked
Already sent it? Start with step 5.
Do this now
Stop if the request fits a scam pattern
Only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency or guarantee returns. Someone you met online who talks about investing, or an official who wants to be paid in crypto, is the classic set-up.Check the address
Paste it into the crypto wallet checker below, exactly as you received it. A listing is a reason to stop.Check the platform or the adviser
Search the name with the words “scam” or “review”. In the UK, look the firm up in the FCA Firm Checker; in the US, check its registration on Investor.gov, as the SEC advises. A name on the register is not enough: scammers clone real firms. Contact the firm only through the details on the register, never the ones you were given.Send only what you are sure about
There is no cancel button. If anything above gave you a doubt, don’t send, and talk it through with someone you trust first.Already sent? Contact the exchange now
Tell the exchange or wallet service you used, keep the transaction ID, and report it. Then treat any offer to recover the money as a second scam.
On this page07
Check it with isMalicious
isMalicious compares what you paste with the threat intelligence sources it collects. It does not scan your device and cannot undo what already happened.
Crypto wallet checker
Paste the address into the crypto wallet checker. The report shows whether the scam lists, sanctions lists and ransomware payment records in the isMalicious dataset name it.
- What it does not mean
- An address no list names is not cleared: a scam can use a fresh address for every victim. The person and the promise are what you need to check.
URL scanner
Paste the address of the platform’s website into the URL scanner.
- What it does not mean
- Not listed is not proof of safety: fake investment sites are often new.
- Scam and sanctioned crypto wallet addresses: every wallet address with a published report.
Report it
Keep the message, the link or the number until you have reported it: you will need them. These are the services that handle each case.
In the United States
FTC, ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab)
Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission, whether or not you lost money.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) (opens in a new tab)
Report internet fraud, extortion, business email compromise and crypto fraud to the FBI. IC3 never contacts victims to ask for money.
In the United Kingdom
Report Fraud (opens in a new tab)
If you lost money or were hacked, in England, Wales or Northern Ireland: report online or by phone. It replaced Action Fraud in December 2025.
Police Scotland (opens in a new tab)
In Scotland, report fraud and cyber crime to Police Scotland.
Financial Conduct Authority (opens in a new tab)
Check whether a firm is authorised in the FCA Firm Checker, or report an investment or crypto scam by phone.
Somewhere else? Report to your national police or your country’s cybercrime reporting service.
In France? The French version of this guide lists the French services.
How to spot the next one
- Payment is accepted only in cryptocurrency, or a fee must be paid in crypto first.
- Returns are guaranteed, or far above anything a bank or a regulated broker offers.
- The idea came from someone you met online, often on a dating app or in a group chat.
- You are pressed to decide today, or told not to mention it to your bank.
Questions
Can a crypto payment be cancelled?
Usually not. Once sent, the money comes back only if the recipient returns it. If you paid through an exchange, contact it immediately: it may be able to act on its own side.
The wallet checker found nothing. Is it safe to send?
No. Not listed is not proof of safety: scam addresses are often new. The checks on the person and the platform matter more than the address.
Someone offers to recover my lost crypto for a fee. Is it real?
Treat it as a scam. The FBI’s IC3 never contacts victims for money and does not work with recovery firms, and the UK’s FCA warns that people who have already lost money are targeted again this way.
How do I check a crypto platform?
Search its name with the words “scam” or “review”, check its website with the URL scanner, and in the UK look it up in the FCA Firm Checker: firms offering crypto products in the UK must be registered with the FCA or have permission to promote them. In the US, the SEC advises checking a firm’s registration on Investor.gov. A name on the register is not enough: scammers clone real firms. Contact the firm only through the details on the register, never the ones you were given.
Related guides
A bluff sent in bulk: don’t pay or reply, change any password it quotes, report it.
Read the address, check the domain and the business behind it, and pay only in a way you can dispute.
Hang up, call back on a number you find yourself, and never read out a code.
Sources
The steps follow these official pages, read on :
- FTCWhat To Know About Cryptocurrency and Scams (opens in a new tab)
- SEC and CFTC (Investor.
gov)Investor Alert: Watch Out for Fraudulent Digital Asset and “Crypto” Trading Websites (opens in a new tab) - AMFThe AMF reminds Digital Asset Service Providers that the transitional period allowing them to continue providing crypto-asset services in France without MiCA authorisation ends on 1 July 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- AMFThe Autorité des marchés financiers calls on retail investors to exercise the greatest vigilance in usurpation cases (opens in a new tab)
- FCAProtect yourself from scams (opens in a new tab)
- FCAClone firms and individuals (opens in a new tab)
- AMFQue faire si j’ai été victime d’une arnaque ? (opens in a new tab) (in French)
- AMFListes noires des sociétés et sites non autorisés : Forex, options binaires, biens divers, produits dérivés sur crypto-actifs, usurpations… (opens in a new tab) (in French)
- AMFL’AMF alerte le public contre des appels d’usurpateurs prétendant aider à la récupération de fonds (opens in a new tab) (in French)
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