First Steps to Take if You Think You've Been Crypto Scammed

The first 24–72 hours after you realize you may be the victim of a crypto scam or pig butchering scam are critical. What you do—or don’t do—in this window can affect whether any of your cryptocurrency-enabled investment fraud losses are traceable, recoverable, or usable as evidence in a civil or criminal case. Beyond what you’ll learn in this article, contacting a trusted crypto recovery lawyer can help you: stabilize the situation, preserve evidence, and position you for the strongest possible recovery and legal strategy.

If you are reading this because you suspect you’ve been crypto scammed, you are already doing one important thing right: you’re looking for clear, actionable guidance. The steps below are designed to be followed in sequence, but even if more time has passed, many of them can still help protect you and strengthen your case.

Step 1: Immediately Stop Communication and Secure Your Accounts

The moment you suspect you are dealing with a crypto scam, your first priority is containment. Pig butchering scams and other cryptocurrency-enabled investment frauds rely on ongoing communication to keep you engaged, emotionally invested, and sending more funds. Cutting off access—to you and to your accounts—reduces the scammer’s leverage.

Start by disengaging from the scammer on all channels. You do not need to explain yourself or confront them. In many sophisticated pig butchering scams, the scammer will respond with guilt, anger, or new “urgent opportunities” to pressure you into sending more money. Simply stop replying, mute notifications, and avoid clicking any new links or downloading any files they send.

Next, secure your primary accounts and devices:

Change passwords on your email, primary financial accounts, and any cryptocurrency exchanges you used.
Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA/2FA) everywhere it is available, especially on email and exchange accounts.
If the scammer ever had remote access to your device or you installed unfamiliar software at their direction, consider that device compromised. Work with a trusted IT professional to scan for malware or use a clean device for sensitive activity.

If the scammer accessed or “helped” you operate an exchange account or wallet, assume they may still have a way back in. Immediately revoke any API keys, disable third-party access, and log out of all active sessions where your exchange makes that option available.

Step 2: In the First 24 Hours, Preserve Critical Evidence

Once you’ve stabilized your accounts, the next priority is evidence preservation. In cryptocurrency-enabled investment fraud, digital evidence is often the only way to reconstruct what happened and who may be responsible. Should you choose to hire a crypto recovery lawyer, they will rely heavily on the data you preserve in this stage.

Your goal in the first 24 hours is to capture a complete snapshot of the fraud as it exists right now, before anything is deleted, altered, or taken offline. Focus on five categories of evidence:

Transactions and wallet details: Save transaction hashes (TXIDs), wallet addresses you sent funds to, and any addresses the scammer asked you to use. Export transaction history from exchanges or wallets and save it in a secure location.
Communication records: Export or screenshot text messages, chat logs, email threads, and in-app conversations with the scammer or the “platform” they directed you to. Where possible, export chats to a file rather than relying only on screenshots.
Platform details: Capture the website URL, login page, dashboards showing balances or “profits,” and any instructions or pop-ups from the platform used in the crypto scam. If it’s an app, screenshot key screens and note the exact app name and developer.
Identity information: Preserve any profile information the scammer used—names, usernames, email addresses, social media profiles, dating app profiles, phone numbers, and avatars.
Timeline notes: As soon as you can, write out a simple timeline: when contact began, when investing started, when amounts increased, and when you first suspected fraud.

Do not rely on the platform or the messaging app to keep this information for you. Pig butchering scam operators often close accounts, delete chats, or change domains once they have extracted as much value as possible. Local copies of your evidence make it easier for a crypto recovery lawyer and law enforcement to trace assets and identify responsible parties.

Step 3: In the First 24 Hours, Contact Financial Institutions

In parallel with preserving evidence, you should contact any financial institutions that were part of the payment flow. While not every crypto scam loss is reversible, early notification can sometimes slow or interrupt a chain of transfers, especially when traditional banking channels like your bank or card issuer are involved.

Start with your bank if you initiated any wire transfers, ACH transfers, or direct bank payments at the scammer’s direction. Clearly state that you believe you were the victim of cryptocurrency-enabled investment fraud and provide transaction dates, amounts, and destinations. Ask whether they can initiate a recall, flag the transfer as fraud, or provide any internal reference numbers you may need later.

If you used a credit card or a payment service (such as PayPal, Venmo, or a similar platform) to fund accounts that were then used in the crypto scam, notify those providers as well. While they may not always reverse charges to a cryptocurrency exchange, documenting your report builds a record that can support later disputes, complaints, or legal action.

For any cryptocurrency exchange or platform you used as an on-ramp:

File a support ticket describing the incident as a suspected crypto scam or pig butchering scam.
Provide transaction IDs, wallet addresses, and timestamps.
Ask whether the exchange can flag associated accounts, freeze assets if still present, or provide guidance on their internal fraud-reporting process.

Different institutions have different capabilities and policies, and a crypto recovery lawyer can help you interpret their responses. Even when funds cannot be pulled back, early reporting can produce logs, internal notes, and compliance records that later become valuable evidence.

Step 4: Within 48 Hours, Report to Law Enforcement and Regulators

Many victims assume that reporting a crypto scam to law enforcement “won’t do anything.” In reality, timely reports can support larger investigations, provide you with official documentation, and sometimes connect your case to other victims of the same cryptocurrency-enabled investment fraud network.

Within the first 48 hours, prioritize the following reports:

First, submit a complaint to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Provide as much detail as possible: dates, amounts, transaction hashes, wallet addresses, domains, and any identity information you collected. IC3 reports are often used to map patterns across many pig butchering scams and other crypto fraud operations.

Second, file a report with your local police department or appropriate national or regional cybercrime unit. Even if your local agency is not equipped to investigate complex cross‑border cryptocurrency fraud, the police report can serve as a foundational document for insurance claims, bank disputes, and future legal action.

Depending on the structure of the fraud, it may also be appropriate to report to:

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or equivalent securities regulator if the scheme was presented as an investment product or trading program.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or consumer protection authority for deceptive practices and consumer fraud.
Your country’s financial intelligence unit or anti-money-laundering authority if large volumes or clear money laundering indicators are involved.

A crypto recovery lawyer or cryptocurrency fraud attorney will typically ask for the report numbers and copies of these filings. Coordinated reporting helps demonstrate that you acted promptly and treated the incident as serious financial crime, not a simple “internet scam.”

Step 5: Within 48 Hours, Organize and Document Your Case

After the immediate steps are underway, take time to organize what you have. Well-structured documentation makes it significantly easier for a crypto recovery lawyer, law enforcement, or a forensic investigation team to understand the scope of the crypto scam and identify potential recovery paths.

Create a simple case file—digital or physical—that includes:

A chronological timeline of events, including when contact began, when you first transferred funds, and when you realized it was a pig butchering scam or other cryptocurrency-enabled investment fraud.
A folder of transaction records, exchange exports, and wallet screenshots labeled by date and platform.
Copies of all communication logs and screenshots grouped by channel (e.g., dating app, messaging app, email, fake platform).
Copies of reports and correspondence with banks, exchanges, payment providers, and regulators.

As you compile this information, focus on clarity rather than perfection. Short notes about what you were told, why you believed the opportunity was legitimate, and how the scammer responded when you hesitated can be just as valuable as raw data. These contextual details often help a crypto scam lawyer understand the scam’s structure and the likely jurisdictional issues.

Step 6: Common Mistakes to Avoid After a Crypto Scam

In the hours and days after discovering a crypto scam or pig butchering scam, it is normal to feel panic, anger, or shame. Unfortunately, those emotions can drive decisions that make recovery harder or expose you to secondary frauds.

A few high‑risk mistakes are especially important to avoid:

Paying “recovery agents” who contact you out of the blue. Many secondary scams target crypto scam victims, claiming they can recover funds for an upfront fee or “tax.” Legitimate crypto recovery services and law firms do not cold‑call or cold‑message victims demanding payment.
Deleting accounts, chats, or emails. Even painful conversations and fake dashboards are valuable evidence. Deleting them may erase the very information a crypto recovery lawyer or forensic analyst needs.
Wiping devices or clearing browser history without a plan. If your device may be compromised, get professional help rather than immediately factory‑resetting it and losing potential logs.
Sending more money to “unlock” or “verify” funds. In pig butchering scams, demands for additional deposits, taxes, or fees are a sign that the scam is in its extraction phase—not a path to recovery.
Confronting the scammer directly. Engaging further rarely produces useful information and may prompt them to destroy evidence or target you with additional threats.

If you’re unsure whether a new offer of help is legitimate, treat it with the same skepticism you now know to apply to cryptocurrency-enabled investment opportunities. When in doubt, pause and consult a qualified crypto recovery lawyer or cybercrime professional before acting.

Step 7: When to Contact a Crypto Recovery Lawyer

You do not need to solve a complex cryptocurrency fraud alone. A crypto recovery lawyer, crypto scam lawyer, or cryptocurrency fraud attorney can help you evaluate whether legal action, civil recovery, or coordinated reporting is appropriate in your case.

In general, you should consider contacting a lawyer when:

Your financial loss is significant enough to justify professional involvement.
The pig butchering scam or crypto scam spans multiple jurisdictions, exchanges, or offshore entities.
Banks, exchanges, or other institutions are unresponsive, slow, or unclear about their processes.
You are unsure what additional steps to take, or you want to avoid missteps that could weaken your position.
You have already filed reports, but you need help turning that documentation into a coherent recovery strategy.

Early legal consultation is often most effective. A crypto recovery lawyer can help you prioritize actions, avoid high‑risk mistakes, and coordinate with law enforcement, forensic investigators, and financial institutions in a way that maximizes your chances of tracing and recovering assets where possible.

Step 8: What Information to Prepare Before Your Legal Consultation

To make the most of a consultation with a crypto recovery lawyer, it helps to arrive with a basic packet of information. This does not need to be perfect or exhaustive; the goal is to give the lawyer enough detail to quickly assess the nature of the cryptocurrency‑enabled investment fraud and identify potential next steps.

Try to have the following ready:

Key transaction records and wallet addresses, including TXIDs and exchange exports.
Copies of communication logs and screenshots that show how the crypto scam or pig butchering scam was presented to you.
Emails or account notes from banks, card issuers, and payment platforms you have already contacted.
Law enforcement and regulator report numbers, along with submission dates.
Your high‑level timeline of events and an estimate of total losses (both fiat and cryptocurrency).

Arriving with organized information allows the attorney to focus the consultation on strategy: which jurisdictions may matter, whether civil litigation, arbitration, or negotiated solutions are realistic, and what combination of tracing, exchange engagement, and law enforcement coordination is appropriate for your situation.

Step 9: Emotional Impact, Shame, and Self‑Care

Victims of pig butchering scams and other sophisticated crypto scams are often intelligent, cautious people who were targeted precisely because of their financial stability, emotional openness, or professional status. Feeling ashamed or blaming yourself is common—but it is also counterproductive when you need to act quickly.

Recognize that these are professional operations. Cryptocurrency-enabled investment fraud rings use tailored scripts, psychological profiling, and high‑pressure social engineering techniques. Even seasoned investors and cybersecurity professionals have been drawn into relationships and platforms that looked legitimate at first glance.

Where possible, talk to someone you trust about what happened—a friend, family member, therapist, or support group familiar with online fraud. Naming the experience as a crime, not a personal failure, can make it easier to follow through on the practical steps outlined above and to engage with a crypto recovery lawyer or other professionals without hesitation.

Taking care of your mental health is not separate from your recovery; it is part of it. Clear thinking, sustained focus, and the ability to communicate calmly with institutions and investigators all improve when you are not carrying the full emotional burden alone.

Step 10: Building Your Recovery Case Over the Next 72 Hours and Beyond

After the initial 24–72 hours, your focus shifts from emergency response to structured recovery. At this stage, many victims work with a crypto recovery lawyer or crypto fraud and asset recovery team to assess options and decide how much time and resources to invest.

Typically, this phase involves:

A preliminary case evaluation, where the lawyer or recovery team reviews your documentation, assesses the traceability of funds on‑chain, and identifies potential defendants or points of leverage (such as exchanges or intermediaries).
A discussion of realistic timelines and potential outcomes, including scenarios where partial recovery, information gathering, or simply closing risk exposure may be the most practical goals.
Development of a tailored strategy, which may include further law enforcement engagement, civil litigation, negotiation with platforms, or working with blockchain analytics tools to trace flows connected to the pig butchering scam or related crypto scams.

Cryptocurrency-enabled investment fraud cases rarely resolve overnight. Even when recovery is possible, it often requires patience, persistence, and coordinated effort. The purpose of this guide is to help you use the earliest hours wisely so that any professional you engage later—legal, forensic, or regulatory—has the strongest possible foundation to work from.

Conclusion: Prompt Action Gives You Options

Discovering that you have been pulled into a pig butchering scam, crypto scam, or other cryptocurrency-enabled investment fraud is deeply unsettling. Yet the decisions you make in the first days after that realization can shape what is still possible in terms of recovery, accountability, and future protection.

By stopping communication, securing your accounts, preserving evidence, notifying financial institutions, and filing appropriate reports, you are not just “checking boxes”—you are building a factual record that a crypto recovery lawyer, law enforcement, and other professionals can use to advocate on your behalf.

If this situation feels familiar, you do not need to navigate it alone. Consider scheduling a consultation with a crypto recovery lawyer or cryptocurrency fraud attorney to review your specific case, understand your options, and develop a prioritized action plan. Prompt, informed steps will not guarantee recovery, but they significantly improve your chances—and they help you move from crisis to a structured, forward‑looking strategy.