· Andrew Dreis · Legal Services & Recovery · 10 min read
How a Real Crypto Scam Lawyer Recovers Your Funds
Learn how a real crypto scam lawyer actually works to recover stolen cryptocurrency—and how to avoid fake "recovery services" that target victims a second time.

When you’ve been pulled into a crypto scam or pig butchering scheme, the offers that hit your inbox next can be just as dangerous as the original fraud.
Dozens of “recovery services” promise to get your money back overnight—if you pay an upfront fee and trust them with even more information.
From a crypto scam lawyer’s perspective, these outfits are a second wave of exploitation, not a path to real recovery.
A real crypto scam lawyer approaches your case very differently.
Instead of quick promises, they focus on evidence, legal tools, and realistic recovery paths based on where your funds went and who can be held accountable.
This guide walks through how legitimate crypto recovery actually works—and how to tell the difference between a licensed crypto scam lawyer and a fake recovery service.
1. What a Real Crypto Scam Lawyer Actually Does
A real crypto scam lawyer is first and foremost a licensed attorney.
Their job is to analyze what happened, identify legal options, and use formal legal tools to pursue recovery where it is realistically possible.
In a typical case, that work includes:
- Investigating the scam: reviewing your documents, messages, and transaction records.
- Tracing assets: following the flow of funds on the blockchain and through exchanges.
- Dealing with exchanges and platforms: sending formal legal requests, subpoenas, or court orders.
- Coordinating with law enforcement: sharing evidence and supporting criminal investigations where appropriate.
- Pursuing civil remedies: filing lawsuits or other civil actions when there is a viable defendant and jurisdiction.
This is slow, methodical work—not a “magic button” process.
There are no guarantees, and a good crypto scam lawyer will say that clearly up front. What you should expect instead is a structured, legally grounded approach to recovery.
2. Step One: A Detailed Investigation of Your Case
Every serious crypto fraud case starts with an investigation.
Before a crypto scam lawyer can talk honestly about your chances of recovery, they need to understand exactly what happened, who was involved, and where your funds appear to have gone.
That investigation usually involves:
- Reviewing your evidence:
- Transaction IDs (TXIDs) and wallet addresses
- Exchange account records and screenshots
- Emails, text messages, social media chats, and messaging-app logs
- Any contracts, platform dashboards, or “investment reports”
- Reconstructing the timeline:
- When the relationship or pitch started
- When you first sent funds
- How much you sent, to which wallets or platforms, and in how many transactions
- Identifying key parties:
- Which cryptocurrency exchanges or trading platforms received the funds
- Whether any traditional banks, payment apps, or card issuers were used as on‑ramps
From there, the lawyer can begin to answer essential questions:
- Are there identifiable exchanges or platforms that can be pressured or compelled to cooperate?
- Is there enough information to connect the scam to specific individuals, entities, or accounts?
- Does your case fit into a larger pattern of activity law enforcement is already investigating?
This early investigation phase separates serious crypto recovery work from fake “recovery services,” which often skip these steps entirely and jump straight to taking your money.
3. Asset Tracing: Following the Money On‑Chain and Off‑Chain
Once the basic facts are clear, a crypto scam lawyer focuses on tracing your assets.
In crypto fraud cases, this usually means following the flow of funds on the blockchain and then connecting those on‑chain movements to exchanges, platforms, or other institutions in the real world.
In practice, this can involve:
- On‑chain analysis:
- Mapping the path of your transactions from your wallet or exchange to the first destination wallet.
- Following subsequent “hops” as funds move between wallets.
- Identifying when funds land on known exchanges, mixers, or other services.
- Using specialized tools and experts:
- Blockchain forensics platforms that cluster related addresses and flag known scam wallets.
- Forensic partners who can generate reports that support legal or law‑enforcement action.
- Connecting on‑chain activity to real‑world actors:
- Identifying which exchanges or platforms currently control wallets in the flow.
- Determining which jurisdictions those exchanges operate in, and which legal tools apply.
You do not need to understand every technical detail of this work.
What matters is that your crypto scam lawyer is using structured, verifiable methods to follow the money, not guessing or relying on vague “tracking services.”
4. Working With Exchanges and Financial Institutions
In many cases, your best chance of recovery comes when stolen funds land on a regulated exchange or financial institution before they are fully laundered.
This is where licensed lawyers have a clear advantage over unregulated “recovery” outfits: they can use legal tools to demand information and, in some cases, to freeze funds.
Depending on the case, your lawyer may:
- Send preservation or freeze requests to exchanges:
- Asking the exchange to flag or hold suspicious accounts while legal process is prepared.
- Issue subpoenas or seek court orders:
- Compelling exchanges to provide KYC (Know Your Customer) records, IP logs, or account data.
- Seeking orders that restrict transfers or withdrawals from specific accounts.
- Coordinate with your bank or payment provider:
- Requesting chargebacks or reversals where card or bank transfers were involved (often time‑sensitive).
- Providing documentation to support fraud claims with financial institutions.
A fake recovery service usually cannot do any of this.
They are not licensed, cannot practice law, and have no authority to issue binding legal process. At best, they send generic emails that exchanges can—and usually do—ignore.
5. Coordination With Law Enforcement and Regulators
Crypto scam cases frequently overlap with criminal investigations.
A crypto scam lawyer often plays a dual role: advising you on civil recovery options while also helping you report the crime in a way that is useful to law enforcement.
That coordination may include:
- Preparing organized reports for agencies such as:
- The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
- Federal or state securities regulators
- Local or regional cybercrime units
- Sharing forensic findings:
- Providing law enforcement with transaction maps, wallet clusters, and exchange information.
- Supplying timelines, communication logs, and other evidence that fits into larger cases.
- Aligning civil and criminal strategy:
- Advising you on how a criminal case might affect your chances of recovery.
- Avoiding steps that could interfere with ongoing investigations.
Law enforcement’s job is to investigate and prosecute crime—not to serve as your personal recovery team.
But when your lawyer presents a well‑organized case with clear evidence, it can significantly improve the odds that your matter is taken seriously and integrated into broader efforts.
6. Real Lawyers vs. Fake “Recovery Services”: Key Differences
To protect yourself after a scam, you need to be able to distinguish a real crypto scam lawyer from a second‑wave scammer.
Some of the most important differences include:
- Licensing and regulation:
- A real lawyer can tell you precisely where they are licensed and provide bar numbers that you can verify.
- Recovery outfits often hide behind generic brand names and refuse to identify jurisdiction.
- Written agreements:
- Lawyers work under formal engagement letters or fee agreements.
- Scam services rely on informal chats, vague invoices, or pressure to “pay now” without documentation.
- Transparency about fees and outcomes:
- A crypto scam lawyer will explain fee structures and emphasize that recovery is never guaranteed.
- Recovery scams promise outcomes (“we will get all your funds back”) and demand large upfront payments.
- Use of real legal tools:
- Lawyers talk about subpoenas, court orders, jurisdiction, and evidence.
- Fake services rely on buzzwords like “hack back,” “special contacts,” or “inside access.”
If someone contacts you out of the blue claiming they can recover your funds, assume it is a scam until proven otherwise.
In most genuine cases, you are the one reaching out to a crypto scam lawyer, not the other way around.
7. Red Flags That a “Recovery Service” Is a Scam
After a crypto scam, you are vulnerable—and criminals know it.
Watch for these red flags that suggest a so‑called recovery service is likely another fraud:
- High upfront fees with guaranteed results.
- Refusal to provide verifiable licensing or physical office information.
- Pressure to act immediately or “before it’s too late.”
- Requests for remote access to your devices or exchange accounts.
- Instructions to move remaining funds into new wallets or platforms they control.
- Vague explanations of how they will actually recover your money.
If you see any of these signs, step back.
Before you send another dollar to anyone, consider speaking with an independent crypto scam lawyer who can review both the original scam and any “recovery” offers you are receiving.
8. How Evidence From the Original Scam Is Used in Recovery
One of the most productive things you can do after a crypto scam is to preserve evidence.
A crypto scam lawyer can only work with what you can document, and small details often matter.
Useful evidence includes:
- Wallet addresses and transaction IDs:
- Screenshots and copy‑pasted hashes from your exchange or wallet.
- CSV exports of your transaction history.
- Communication logs:
- Full chat histories from messaging apps, social media, and email.
- Voice messages or call records where available.
- Platform records:
- Screenshots of dashboards, fake “investment” platforms, or app interfaces.
- Any downloadable “statements” the scammers provided.
- Bank and payment records:
- Bank statements, card statements, and receipts showing fiat transfers into exchanges.
- Any notes or memos that identify where payments were sent.
Your lawyer uses this material to:
- Reconstruct the exact path of your funds.
- Identify which exchanges or institutions were involved.
- Support legal filings, subpoenas, and law‑enforcement reports.
Even if you are not ready to hire a crypto scam lawyer today, organizing this evidence now will make any later recovery efforts more effective.
9. Realistic Expectations About Outcomes and Timelines
Honest crypto scam lawyers talk about probabilities, not promises.
Recovery depends on many variables outside your control: where the funds went, how quickly you act, what information is available, and how cooperative any exchanges or institutions are.
In broad terms, your lawyer may discuss possibilities such as:
- Full recovery:
- Occasionally achievable when funds are quickly frozen on a regulated exchange or account.
- Partial recovery:
- More common in cases where some—but not all—funds can be traced and clawed back.
- Preventing further losses:
- Freezing remaining funds, blocking new debits, or stopping additional transfers.
- Non‑monetary outcomes:
- Supporting criminal cases, helping authorities identify larger networks, or obtaining clarity and closure.
Timelines also vary:
- Exchange‑related steps can sometimes move within weeks or a few months.
- Complex cross‑border litigation may take a year or more.
- Law‑enforcement investigations can run on their own timelines, independent of your civil case.
A good crypto scam lawyer will help you weigh the likely costs, potential outcomes, and emotional impact before you commit to a particular strategy.
10. How to Vet and Choose a Crypto Scam Lawyer
If you decide to explore legal recovery, choosing the right lawyer matters.
You are trusting someone with sensitive financial and personal information at a time when your trust has already been abused.
When you speak with potential lawyers, consider:
- Licensing and focus:
- Can they clearly explain where they are licensed and how much of their practice involves crypto fraud and asset recovery?
- Experience and track record:
- Have they handled pig butchering or similar crypto scam cases before?
- Can they describe, in general terms, how those cases were approached?
- Communication style:
- Do they answer your questions directly and explain legal concepts in plain language?
- Are they transparent about risks, limitations, and the fact that no outcome is guaranteed?
- Fee structure:
- Do you understand how you will be billed and what costs you may be responsible for?
- Are there clear written terms, or is everything vague and verbal?
You should leave an initial consultation feeling more informed, not more pressured.
If something feels off—or if someone tries to push you into an immediate commitment—trust your instincts and seek a second opinion.
11. Why Choosing a Real Lawyer Protects You
Working with a real crypto scam lawyer does more than improve your chances of recovery.
It also helps protect you from being re‑victimized.
Because licensed lawyers are accountable to professional rules and regulators, they must:
- Provide written terms and clear explanations.
- Maintain client confidentiality and data security.
- Avoid false guarantees or deceptive marketing.
- Put your interests ahead of their own.
By contrast, fake “recovery services” can disappear overnight with your money and your information.
They operate without meaningful oversight—which is exactly how the original scammers behaved.
Conclusion: A Structured, Legal Path Forward
After a crypto scam, it is natural to want fast, definitive answers and a simple way to get your money back.
Unfortunately, recovery is rarely that simple—but that does not mean you are powerless.
A real crypto scam lawyer will:
- Take your situation seriously, without judgment.
- Help you preserve and organize critical evidence.
- Trace your funds and identify realistic recovery paths.
- Use legal tools, not empty promises, to pursue those options.
If this experience sounds familiar, you do not have to navigate it alone.
Consider scheduling a consultation with a crypto scam lawyer who focuses on crypto fraud and asset recovery.
An informed, honest assessment of your case is the first step toward understanding what might still be possible—and protecting yourself from becoming a target a second time.



