Sadly, scams are unavoidable in the cryptocurrency space.
Cryptocurrency transactions are not reversible which is why bad actors like to use cryptocurrency like bitcoin, along with secure crypto wallets like Edge, that are encrypted and private (zero-knowledge) with self-custodial (holding your own private key) wallets inside.
Even without using Edge, anyone can create a Bitcoin (or other crypto) wallet address, and depending on how the stolen coins move from address to address, you may be able to identify an exchange wallet where the scammer is trying to off-ramp the coins for their local currency.
If this is the case, you may be able to report the criminal to that exchange directly, and get their account frozen while you pursue legal action.
We always advise anyone that is a victim of a scam to please report to your local law enforcement so there is a record of what has happened, so gather as much data about this case as you can into a personal research document.
Here below you have an incomplete list of police departments specialized in cyber crimes, divided by State. For other countries, please search "Cyber Crime department for NAMEOFYOURCOUNTRY" on Google.
For USA you can contact the FBI
Department | Contact Information | Website |
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Phone: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) |
Local Cybercrime Police Departments in EU Countries
Country | City | Department | Contact | Website |
Germany | Berlin | Landeskriminalamt Berlin (LKA Berlin) | Phone: 110 | |
France | Paris | Direction centrale de la police judiciaire (DCPJ) | Phone: 17 | |
Italy | Rome | Polizia Postale e delle Comunicazioni | Phone: 112 | |
Spain | Madrid | Unidad de Investigación Tecnológica (UIT) | Phone: 091 | |
United Kingdom | London | National Crime Agency (NCA) | Phone: 101 | |
Netherlands | The Hague | Politie (Dienst Landelijke Recherche, Team High Tech Crime) | Phone: 0900-8844 | |
Sweden | Stockholm | National Cyber Crime Centre (NCC) | Phone: 114 14 | |
Belgium | Brussels | Federal Computer Crime Unit (FCCU) | Phone: 0800 91 119 | |
Denmark | Copenhagen | Police National Cyber Crime Centre (NC3) | Phone: +45 114 | |
Portugal | Lisbon | Polícia Judiciária (PJ) - Unidade Nacional de Combate ao Cibercrime e à Criminalidade Tecnológica (UNC3T) | Phone: 21 892 05 55 | |
Greece | Athens | Hellenic Cybercrime Division (HCD) | Phone: 1142 | |
Austria | Vienna | Bundeskriminalamt (BK) | Phone: 059 133 3333 | |
Finland | Helsinki | National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) - National Cyber Crime Centre (NC3) | Phone: +358 295 480 161 | |
Ireland | Dublin | Cyber Crime Investigation Unit (CCIU) | Phone: +353 1 6663777 | |
Poland | Warsaw | Centralne Biuro Śledcze Policji (CBŚP) - Wydział do walki z Cyberprzestępczością | Phone: +48 22 601 00 00 | |
Czech Republic | Prague | Národní centrum kybernetického a informačního bezpečí (NCKIB) | Phone: 974 820 680 | |
Hungary | Budapest | Cyber Crime Unit of the Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation (NNI Kiber Bűnözés Elleni Osztály) | Phone: +36 1 453 8300 | |
Slovakia | Bratislava | National Crime Agency (Národná Kriminálna Agentúra) | Phone: +421 961 300 100 | |
Romania | Bucharest | Directorate for Countering Organized Crime and Terrorism (Direcția de Combatere a Criminalității Organizate și Terorismului - Serviciul de Combatere a Criminalității Informatice) | Phone: +40 21 208 25 10 | |
Bulgaria | Sofia | Cybercrime Department (Управление "Киберпрестъпност") | Phone: +359 2 982 2222 | |
Lithuania | Vilnius | Information Technology and Communications Department (Informacinės Technologijos ir Ryšių Departamentas - Kibernetinio Nusikalstamumo Prevencijos Skyrius) | Phone: 112 | |
Estonia | Tallinn | Central Criminal Police (Keskne Kriminaalpolitsei - Cybercrime Bureau) | Phone: +372 612 3333 | |
Latvia | Riga | State Police (Valsts Policija - Criminal Police - Cybercrime Unit) | Phone: 110 | |
Croatia | Zagreb | Ministry of the Interior - Cybercrime Police Directorate (Direkcija policije - Služba za visokotehnološki kriminalitet) | Phone: 192 | |
Slovenia | Ljubljana | Specialized State Prosecutor's Office (Specializirano državno tožilstvo Republike Slovenije - Specialized State Prosecution Office for Prosecuting Cybercrime) | Phone: +386 1 478 4600 | |
Luxembourg | Luxembourg City | Police Grand-Ducale (Cybercrime Unit) | Phone: 113 | |
Malta | Valletta | Malta Police Force (Cybercrime Unit) | Phone: +356 2122 4001 | |
Cyprus | Nicosia | Police - Cybercrime Combatting Office (CCO) | Phone: +357 22 802020 |
Local Cybercrime Police Departments in Asian countries
Country | City | Department | Contact Information | Website |
China | Beijing | Ministry of Public Security (MPS) - Cybersecurity Bureau | Phone: +86-10-6626-9012 | |
Japan | Tokyo | Japan Cybercrime Control Center (JC3) | Phone: +81-3-3518-2860 | |
India | New Delhi | Cyber Crime Investigation Cell (CCIC) - Ministry of Home Affairs | Phone: 155260 | |
South Korea | Seoul | Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) - Cyber Terror Response Center (CTRC) | Phone: +82-2-380-1712 | |
Singapore | Singapore | Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) - Singapore Police Force (SPF) - Technology Crime Division | Phone: +65-6323-2788 |
Local Cybercrime Police Departments in Oceanian countries
Country | City | Department | Contact Information | Website |
Australia | Canberra | Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) | Phone: 1300 CYBER1 (1300 292 371) | |
New Zealand | Wellington | New Zealand Police - High Tech Crime Group | Phone: +64-4-474-9499 | |
Fiji | Suva | Fiji Police Force - Cyber Crime Unit | Phone: +679-331-1222 | |
Papua New Guinea | Port Moresby | Papua New Guinea Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary - National Cyber Crime Unit | Phone: +675-321-4204 | |
Samoa | Apia | Samoa Police - Cyber Crime Unit | Phone: +685-22222 |
Local Cybercrime Police Departments in South America
Country | City | Department | Contact Information | Website |
Brazil | Brasília | Department of Federal Police - Cybercrimes Division | Phone: +55-61-2024-8000 | |
Argentina | Buenos Aires | Argentine Federal Police - Cybercrime Division | Phone: +54-11-4800-5100 | |
Colombia | Bogotá | Colombian National Police - Cybernetic Center for Criminal Investigations (CCDI) | Phone: +57-1-315-868-4731 | |
Chile | Santiago | Investigative Police of Chile - Cybercrime Brigade | Phone: +56-2-2707-7777 | |
Peru | Lima | Peruvian National Police - High Technology Crimes Division | Phone: +51-1-205-6800 |
Our suggestion is to send the transaction ID to the authorities, so they can try to trace the coin movements through the public ledgers / blockchains:
From within the wallet used to send money to the scammer -
- tap on the transaction where funds were sent
- scroll down and tap on the transaction id to copy
- paste it into your research document & the email you will send to the authorities
Hopefully they will be able to follow the money.