The Evidence to Gather Before You Report a Crypto Scam

After a crypto scam, save every wallet address, transaction ID, date, amount and receipt, plus the scammer's usernames, phone numbers, web addresses and messages, then report it, in this order and as fast as you can: the exchange or kiosk operator you used, the FBI's IC3, and the FTC. The transaction details matter most: the FBI tells victims that wallet addresses, amounts, dates and transaction hashes are the core of a useful report. Keep every app and chat, and pay nothing to anyone who offers to get the money back. If you are still unsure the platform is fake, read how to tell if a crypto investment is a scam before another dollar moves. Plain replies to the questions people ask us most are on our straight answers page.

The first hour decides how much evidence survives

• Send nothing more, including any "tax" or "fee" to release a withdrawal.
• Do not tell the scammer you know. They may move funds faster or delete the platform.
• Change passwords on your exchange and email accounts, and turn on two step login.
• If you gave anyone remote access to your computer, disconnect it from the internet and have it checked before you use it for banking.
• Never share your seed phrase or private keys with anyone, including anyone claiming to help.

Save these records before anything else

The money

• Every wallet address you sent funds to, copied exactly as text. A screenshot alone is too easy to misread.
• Every transaction ID, also called a transaction hash, for each transfer
• Date, time, asset type and amount for each transfer
• Exchange account statements showing purchases and withdrawals
• Bank and card statements showing the money you used to buy crypto, and any wires to individuals
• Crypto kiosk receipts, paper or emailed. Keep every one; they show the wallet and transaction details

The scammer

• Usernames, display names and profile links on every app and site
• Phone numbers, email addresses and messaging app handles
• The full web address of the "investment platform," and any app names
• Screenshots of the platform dashboard, your balance and any withdrawal demands
• Full chat histories, exported where the app allows it, with dates visible
• Any documents they sent: contracts, "certificates," tax demands, IDs

Your own timeline

• How you first met or heard from them, and the date
• A dated list of every payment and every request they made
• Names of anyone else involved, including anyone who contacted you afterward offering to recover funds

Keep originals untouched and work from copies. Store everything in one folder, and back it up. In a romance or fake trading platform case, those records are where a pig butchering scam investigation begins.

Report in this order

1. The exchange or kiosk operator. Tell them the funds were sent because of fraud and ask them to flag the receiving addresses. Ask for your transaction records in writing.
2. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. File one complaint with every wallet address, transaction ID, date and amount. Keep the complaint number. People 60 and older can also call the Department of Justice Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-372-8311.
3. The FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
4. Your local police. Ask for a report number. Some refund rules, including Florida's new kiosk law below, require a report to law enforcement.
5. Your bank, if you paid by wire or card to buy the crypto.

Florida kiosk victims get a 60 day clock starting in 2027

Florida's crypto kiosk law, CS/HB 505 (Chapter 2026-178, Laws of Florida), takes effect January 1, 2027. From that date:

• Kiosk businesses must cap new customers at 2,000 dollars a day and existing customers at 10,000 dollars a day, across all of their kiosks.
• Receipts must show the transaction hash and each wallet used, along with the date, amount, fees and the operator's contact details.
• A kiosk business must issue a full refund, within 72 hours, for a customer's first kiosk transaction if, within 60 days, the customer notifies both the kiosk business and a law enforcement or government agency of the fraud, and gives the kiosk business proof such as a police report or a notarized affidavit. Only the first transaction is covered.

Until January 1, 2027, Florida has no kiosk specific daily cap or refund requirement in force. Other states have their own kiosk rules, and some have banned kiosks outright. Ask an attorney how the law applies to your transaction.

The same evidence starts both paths

Law enforcement uses it to decide whether to act, and agencies can freeze and seize. If you also want to know where the money went and who took it, the same evidence starts both paths that produce results: identifying the people responsible, and tracing the money to a place where your attorney can have it frozen. A licensed cryptocurrency tracing investigator works from it and puts the findings in a report your attorney can use. Tracing never guarantees that money comes back. Before you hire anyone, read how to avoid fake crypto recovery services. E3 Legacy Intel never asks for seed phrases or wallet access, takes payment by card or bank transfer only, never contacts victims first, and is not a law firm. Your attorney will see that same evidence again as the starting section of our crypto tracing report for attorneys.

Questions victims ask in the first days

What information do I need to report a crypto scam to IC3?

The wallet addresses you sent funds to, the transaction ID or hash for each transfer, the date, time, asset and amount of each transfer, how you met the scammer, the platform names and web addresses, and the scammer's usernames, phone numbers and email addresses. Include screenshots and keep your complaint number.

Who should I report a crypto scam to first?

Notify the exchange or kiosk operator right away so they can flag the receiving addresses, then file with the FBI at ic3.gov, report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and file a police report. Contact your bank if you paid by wire or card.

Where do I find a crypto transaction hash?

In your exchange or wallet app's transaction history, usually labeled transaction ID, TXID or hash, and on crypto kiosk receipts. Copy it as text exactly as shown.

Can I get a refund from a crypto ATM in Florida?

From January 1, 2027, Florida law requires a kiosk business to fully refund, within 72 hours, a customer's first kiosk transaction if the customer notifies the kiosk business and a law enforcement or government agency of the fraud within 60 days and provides proof, such as a police report or notarized affidavit. Before that date, Florida has no kiosk refund requirement. Ask an attorney how it applies to you.

Should I delete the scam app or block the scammer?

Not before you have preserved everything. Export or screenshot the full chats, save the platform's web address, and copy every wallet address and transaction ID first. Stop replying and keep the evidence.

E3 Legacy Intel, a division of Southern Recon Agency, LLC. Florida private investigative agency license A-1400197. 805 E Bloomingdale Ave #680, Brandon, FL 33511. (877) 732-6648. Not a law firm; no legal advice.

Sources

• FBI IC3, Cryptocurrency (evidence to include, Elder Fraud Hotline): https://www.ic3.gov/CrimeInfo/Cryptocurrency
• FTC fraud reporting: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov
• Florida CS/HB 505, Chapter 2026-178, Laws of Florida: https://laws.flrules.org/2026/178
• Florida Senate bill page and enrolled text, CS/HB 505 (2026): https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/505
• California DFPI, how to report crypto scams: https://dfpi.ca.gov/consumers/crypto/how-to-report-crypto-scams/