Cryptocurrency fraud
Crypto payments settle quickly and are difficult to reverse, but there are still practical steps worth taking today.
Immediate action
Stop all further payments. Do not pay any 'release fee', 'tax' or 'unlock' payment requested to access funds.
Overview
Crypto investment fraud often begins on social media, messaging apps or dating platforms. Victims are shown a convincing dashboard with rising balances and are then asked for further payments to withdraw.
Common warning signs
- A platform you cannot find independently regulated
- Guaranteed or unusually high returns
- Being asked to install remote-access software
- Fees demanded before you can withdraw
What to do now
- 1Stop sending any further payments
- 2Record every wallet address and transaction hash
- 3Contact the exchange you bought crypto from
- 4Secure your email and exchange accounts
Evidence to preserve
- Wallet addresses used
- Transaction hashes
- Exchange account statements
- Chats with the 'account manager'
- Screenshots of the trading dashboard
Where to report
- Action Fraud (or Police Scotland in Scotland)
- The exchange you purchased through
- Your bank, if you funded purchases from a UK account
Fraud Victim Support does not replace an official police report.
What happens next
We will help you organise the transaction details and understand which organisations to approach. We never ask for private keys or seed phrases.
Optional legal support
A separate legal assessment may be available in some circumstances. It is optional and never a condition of support.
You are never required to instruct AY-Legal in order to receive initial support.
Questions people ask
- Will you need my seed phrase?
- Never. No legitimate service will ever ask for your seed phrase or private keys.
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Anonymous. No name, no contact details — just so we can make this clearer for the next person.