A firm says it can trace and recover my stolen crypto, is it legit?
Last reviewed: 2026-08-01 · Checked with Hunch’s on-device engine, the same one inside the extension. How Hunch checks →
Part of our guide: What to do if you got scammed →
Almost certainly not. Blockchain "recovery experts" who reach out promising to trace and return stolen coins for an upfront tracing fee are running a second scam on people who already lost crypto. Real tracing tools exist, but no honest firm cold-contacts victims, guarantees results, or asks you to pay before anything is recovered.
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This preys on people who have just watched savings vanish into a crypto scam and are searching desperately for any way to undo it. The pitch borrows the language of forensics and blockchain analysis to sound official, and because victims' contact details are traded among scammers, the "we found your coins" email often lands within days of the first loss, turning fresh grief into a second payment.
Illustrative example of the pattern, not a real message someone received.
How to verify it yourself
- No legitimate firm can guarantee it will get stolen crypto back, the blockchain is irreversible once funds move.
- Watch for an upfront "tracing" or "recovery" fee; paying it is the whole scam.
- Never share your wallet seed phrase or connect your wallet to a site that contacted you first.
- Report crypto theft directly to the FBI at ic3.gov rather than to anyone who emails you offering help.
Common questions
can stolen cryptocurrency be recovered
Rarely, and only through law enforcement or the exchange that holds the funds, never through a firm that emails you first. Once coins leave your wallet the transaction cannot be reversed by a private service.
is a crypto recovery service a scam
If it contacted you, guarantees results, or asks for a fee before recovering anything, yes. It is a follow-on scam that targets people already hurt by the first theft.
someone offered to trace my stolen bitcoin for a fee
The fee is the scam. Real blockchain tracing is done by investigators working with law enforcement, not by strangers who charge you upfront and promise your coins back.
blockchain recovery expert emailed me
Being contacted first is the red flag, not good fortune. Legitimate investigators do not troll for victims by email or ask you to verify your wallet on a lookalike site.
If you already responded
- If you connected your wallet or shared your seed phrase, move any remaining funds to a brand-new wallet immediately.
- Stop all contact and pay no further "fees" or "taxes" to release the supposed recovery.
- Report the theft and the recovery approach to the FBI at ic3.gov.
Source: FBI IC3