Independent · Free · Nothing to sign
Lost money to a crypto scam? Here’s what can actually be done.
Crypto fraud recovery is possible in a minority of cases, usually when the theft was recent, the funds are still at a regulated exchange, and you have the transaction IDs. This site tells you honestly which of those apply to you, using free tools that send nothing to us and ask for no email address unless you deliberately choose to contact us.
Independent platformNo upfront feesWe are not a recovery firm
Recovery fraud · 2025
Lost by people who had already been defrauded once, to firms promising to recover their money. More than 10,500 complaints in a single year.
If someone has contacted you offering to get your crypto back, read our warning before you reply.
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2025
Start here
Three things worth doing today
All free, all anonymous, none of them ask for your email.
Case Evaluator
Nine questions build an evidence board of your case and return an honest assessment of what’s realistic, including when the answer is nothing.
Open the toolRecovery Pathway Assessment
Ten questions showing whether there are practical documentation and reporting steps available in your case. Not a recovery prediction.
Open the toolSpot a Recovery Scam
How to tell a real investigator from someone selling hope to people who’ve already been robbed. The most useful page on this site.
Read the guideUnderstand your case
What kind of scam was it?
Each page explains how that scam works, what happened to your funds, and whether recovery is realistic.
Pig Butchering
A long relationship, then an “investment opportunity.”
Fake Trading Platform
Profits on screen you could never withdraw.
Romance Scam
Someone you trusted asked you to invest.
Wallet Drain
A phishing site or a signature you shouldn’t have given.
Impersonation
Someone posing as your bank, exchange, or the police.
Investment Fraud
HYIP, Ponzi, or a fund that never existed.
Crypto ATM
You were talked through a machine by phone.
Rug Pull / DeFi
The team vanished with the liquidity.
NFT Scam
Fake mints, fake marketplaces, drained wallets.
Sextortion
You were threatened into paying. It isn’t your fault.
Your realistic options
Four things you can do, and what each is actually worth
Most people only hear about the second one, because it’s the only one with an advertising budget.
Report to law enforcement
Blockchain tracing firm
Civil lawyer
Stop and protect yourself
If someone offers to recover your money, ask them one question.
“What licence do you hold, from which regulator, and what is the number?”
Victim lists are bought and sold. If you were scammed, expect to be approached, often within weeks, often by someone claiming to work with law enforcement.
A SAM.gov registration is not a licence. A NATO NCAGE code is not a licence. Both are free self-registrations with no vetting behind them, and both are used constantly to look official. A real answer names a bar association, a private investigator board, or a financial regulator, and gives a number you can check yourself.
Check my case freeHow this site works
Three steps, and you can stop after any of them
Step 01
Understand what happened
Read the page for your scam type and use the free tools. Most people who do only this leave better off than when they arrived, and it costs nothing.
Step 02
See whether action is realistic
The evaluator gives you a straight answer, including when that answer is that nobody can help. We would rather tell you that than sell you something.
Step 03
Decide for yourself
If your case clears the bar, we show firms that passed our published vetting standard. No obligation, and we tell you exactly how we’re paid.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Can stolen cryptocurrency actually be recovered?
Sometimes, but far less often than recovery advertising suggests. Recovery is realistic mainly when funds are still sitting at a regulated exchange, the theft was recent, and you have the transaction IDs. Once funds pass through a mixer or a non-cooperative offshore exchange, tracing can usually show where they went but cannot bring them back.
Should I pay a company to get my crypto back?
Never pay a fee before anything is recovered. In the United States, charging an advance fee for recovery services is prohibited under the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule. Legitimate arrangements are contingency-based, put in writing, and offered by a firm that can name its licence, its regulator, and its licence number.
Is Chain Pursuit free to use?
Yes. Every tool is free, requires no account, and requires no email address. Your answers stay in your browser.
Do you guarantee recovery?
No, and neither can anyone else. Any guarantee of recovery made before a case has been examined is a warning sign, not a reassurance.
What if my scam happened years ago?
Recovery becomes very unlikely after the first months, but reporting still matters. Investigators group cases, and networks are dismantled on the strength of many reports rather than one. Be alert to recovery scams, which specifically target people whose losses are old.
Can I use this site anonymously?
Yes. The tools run entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is transmitted to Chain Pursuit unless you deliberately submit a case, which is a separate, clearly marked step.
How does Chain Pursuit make money?
Where we introduce someone to a third-party firm, we may receive a fee. We disclose that on the page where the introduction happens, and we do not introduce anyone to a firm that charges money before recovery.
Who are the firms you connect me with?
We only list firms that have passed our published due diligence standard, which requires a verified licence number from a named regulator, a written fee schedule, and outcome data with a denominator. Firms that cannot supply all three are not listed.