Scam – How can I recover from a cryptocurrency scam?

We express our condolences. As a ‘techie’ with a reasonable knowledge of cryptocurrencies, I agree that there is very little chance of you getting your money back.

Some information about Bitcoin and online scams

Technically, it’s not hopeless. Recovering (some of) your money depends on the following chain of events:

• that It’s not complete It is impossible to identify the perpetrator. This is especially true if it can be confirmed that the number of victims is large and that appropriate investigative resources are needed.
• If you are ultimately identified, you will likely be prosecuted (in some jurisdictions this is likely, but in others I think it is highly unlikely).
• If you are charged and convicted, it is possible (but unlikely) that some of your money will be returned to you. Again, this depends on the jurisdiction, but largely depends on how much money can be squeezed out relative to the number of victims.

How to identify the culprit?

• It is false to say that Bitcoin transactions are “untraceable.” For example, there was a recent global incident involving child exploitation based on Bitcoin addresses.
• Even if you can’t track them now, I think that in the next 10 to 20 years it will be easy to track larger batches of Bitcoin addresses through public resources. What doesn’t work today may require follow-up years from now. Especially for large accounts
• Information other than your Bitcoin address may also be helpful. They probably had a website, an email address, and maybe even called you. In some cases, these details can help find the perpetrator. ‘Covering your tracks’ is certainly possible, but not everyone does this and does it correctly.

what you can do

Collect all raw information (all emails, dates and times, phone numbers or call logs, Bitcoin ATMs you deposited money into, or other currency exchange details). Take all raw data to law enforcement. Maybe try different law enforcement agencies. Maybe find a way to increase the salience of your case by connecting with other victims (you’ll probably need to contract a knowledgeable programmer to try this).

Professional money recovery?

Obviously, there are services you can hire that specialize in this. Some of them seem to imply that they don’t charge you unless you’re successful. You may also want to spend some time exploring Google search results such as: i know naught About this.

Obviously, some of these are tricky (but legal) and may even be outright scams, so you need to be very careful. Some of these may be cynically based on the theory that people who fall for a scam are more likely to get scammed a second time. But if you can find a service that looks good and figure out how to check if it’s trustworthy (and maybe even get someone to help you), it might be worth a try.

In my opinion These services, in theory, are not necessarily fraudulent.. (How about a recommendation?)

conclusion

All of this is probably a lot of work, requires more money invested, and may have a lower chance of success. But considering how ignorant most people are about Bitcoin and online scams in general, I wanted to weigh in. I think you deserve to consider all options if you have the time and will.