How to file a crypto fraud report with the FBI IC3

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is the standard entry point for cryptocurrency fraud complaints involving US victims or US-touching infrastructure. This article describes how to file one effectively — and sets realistic expectations about what happens next.

Who should file an IC3 complaint

IC3 accepts complaints from anywhere, but it is most effective when at least one of the following applies:

• The victim is a US person or US-based entity.
• The counterparty platform was hosted in the US or used US payment infrastructure.
• Funds at some point reached a US-regulated venue (exchange, bank, or money services business).

If none of the above applies, your own jurisdiction's equivalent (Action Fraud in the UK, HK Police CCB, 165 in Taiwan, ScamWatch in Australia) is a better starting point. See our risk disclosure for jurisdiction-specific alternatives.

Before you start

Prepare the following. Not all fields are required, but complete submissions get triaged more quickly:

• A single chronological log of events (dates, amounts, counterparty handles)
• Every transaction hash, with source address, destination address, amount, and timestamp
• Screenshots of the platform, conversations, and any fabricated balances
• Your loss denominated in USD equivalent at the time of loss
• Any KYC documents you submitted to the fraudulent platform
• If you already filed a local police report, its reference number

Filing

The form is at ic3.gov. A few notes about the fields that matter most:

• "Information about you" — be precise about citizenship and state of residence; it affects which field office receives the file.
• "Description of incident" — write in plain prose. Lead with: when contact began, how the platform was presented, amounts deposited, what happened at the withdrawal step. Avoid speculation; stick to what you know.
• "Financial losses" — report the USD-equivalent loss, and the denomination(s) of the actual transfers (e.g., USDT-TRC20, ETH).
• Attachments — include the transaction log and the most probative screenshots. Large video files are discouraged.

Submit once. Submitting the same facts multiple times slows triage.

After filing

Do not expect a reply within your first week. IC3 aggregates complaints and refers patterns or high-value matters to field offices. Most individual victims receive a generic confirmation email and nothing further, because:

1. The field offices receive far more referrals than they can pursue individually.
2. Resources concentrate on cases with large aggregate losses or clear US counterparties.
3. Successful US prosecutions take years.

What the IC3 filing does achieve, even without direct follow-up, is:

• Preserving the incident in a federal database, which enables future pattern aggregation.
• Creating a reference number you can cite in civil matters or when communicating with exchanges.
• Building the record that agents and prosecutors rely on when they select cases.

If nothing happens

Civil recovery — either directly or via counsel — is typically a faster path than waiting on a criminal referral. For cases with identifiable US-regulated counterparties, parallel civil action is generally available. Before engaging counsel, read our risk disclosure for an honest account of what is and is not achievable.

Related resources

• ic3.gov — the filing portal
• Action Fraud (UK) — UK equivalent
• ScamWatch (Australia) — Australian equivalent
• 165 Anti-Fraud Hotline (Taiwan) — Taiwanese equivalent
• HK Police CCB — Hong Kong equivalent

This article is informational and is not legal advice. IC3 procedures change periodically; always confirm current submission requirements on ic3.gov.