If you have fallen victim to crypto fraudsters, act quickly: gather evidence, record the transactions and pass the information to the exchange or the police. Grigory Osipov, director of investigations at “Shard”, explains how to prepare a report that will help launch an investigation and recover assets.
How to organise transaction information
If stolen funds are moved to centralised exchanges, there is a chance to freeze them. Such services are obliged to screen users under KYC/AML rules — they collect client information and in some cases can suspend suspicious transactions.
If you see that funds have reached a specific exchange, contact support as soon as possible — via email, chat or a dedicated form.
Important: most exchanges operate in English, so it is best to write in that language.
The quality of your submission affects not only whether it will be considered, but also the effectiveness of the review.
Prepare a concise yet informative description of the incident:
- What happened — for example, “a transfer request was received; later it turned out the requester was a fraudster”.
- How contact with the counterparty was established — via a messenger, social networks or an exchange.
- Set out a chronology of actions: when and what steps you took.
- Attach confirmation of voluntariness or coercion in the transfer of funds, if applicable to your situation.
- Provide screenshots of the account showing that you own the address — with username, email or UID.
If you are a Russian citizen, a standard police report template can be downloaded from the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or via Gosuslugi. You can file electronically through Gosuslugi or visit the duty desk of your local police station.
What else your report should include
Incident data:
- date and time of the event (with time zone);
- place of the incident — if it was offline;
- for an online incident — IP address, country, city. You can find the IP via services 2ip.ru or SpaceWeb;
- method of theft: voluntary transfer, phishing, account compromise, investment fraud;
- description of the resource: the website or app where the interaction with fraudsters occurred;
- the total value of lost assets, specifying the cryptocurrency and its rate at the time of the incident.
Transaction details:
- sender and recipient addresses;
- transaction hash (TxID);
- date, time and amount of the transfer;
- the network used (Bitcoin, Ethereum, TRON, BNB Chain and others).
These data can be obtained from blockchain explorers: Etherscan, Blockchain.com, Tronscan.
Completeness and accuracy increase the chances of a prompt response from the crypto exchange or law enforcement. The more detailed the information, the higher the likelihood of freezing assets before they are withdrawn. You can gather these data yourself or enlist specialists in crypto investigations.
Phrases in a report that can harm your case
In reports to law enforcement, it is crucial to use precise, legally correct and emotionally neutral wording. Poorly drafted statements can not only complicate the review, but also work against the applicant.
| Legally sound wording | Incorrect wording |
| “I believe that actions possibly containing signs of fraud under Article 159 of the Criminal Code may have been committed against me.” | “I definitely know that I was deceived.” The applicant has no authority to qualify actions as a crime — that is the prerogative of the investigators. |
| “I request that an inquiry be conducted and that those responsible be held liable if the elements of a crime are established.” | “I request that my money be returned.” A police report is filed not to recover funds, but to record and investigate a crime. Requests for compensation are addressed in civil proceedings. |
| “The perpetrator presented false information that misled me as to the nature and purpose of the transfer of funds.” | “I am stupid, my own fault.” Such wording may be regarded as an admission of carelessness or even consent to the transaction, which complicates the classification as fraud. |
| “The person I interacted with gained access to my funds through deception and misrepresentation.” | “He/she stole my money.” This directly classifies the actions as theft, which legally differs from fraud (Article 158 versus Article 159 of the Criminal Code). |
| “Under the pretext of an investment project I was offered conditions that did not correspond to reality. After the transfer of funds, contact with the organisers was lost.” | “I invested, but the deal failed.” The phrase can be interpreted as entrepreneurial risk rather than a crime. |
Why a screenshot is not enough
Many victims limit themselves to providing screenshots of chats with alleged criminals. A screenshot is just an image. It contains no IP addresses, metadata, digital signatures or other information that would confirm its authenticity. Moreover, screenshots are easy to forge with graphic editors.
Therefore, in addition to screenshots, it is advisable to provide the following information in a report to law enforcement:
- transaction history in CSV, PDF or via interface export;
- notifications of transfers, confirmations by email or SMS;
- electronic correspondence with the fraudsters;
- documents confirming the purchase of cryptocurrency: receipts, payment slips, bank statements;
- email addresses, social media profiles, Telegram accounts of the alleged fraudsters;
- details of the company, organisation or project with which the applicant interacted;
- links to fraudulent resources, copies of promotional materials.
Private report vs a lawyer’s request: which is better
A report to law enforcement or a cryptocurrency exchange can be filed directly by the victim or via an authorised representative. The two approaches differ in content, legal force and how they are perceived by officials.
Statements from private individuals often contain emotionally charged wording, an insufficiently clear account of facts and a lack of a properly assembled body of evidence — from transaction statements to technical data. This will complicate the review and reduce the chances of opening a case.
A report prepared by a lawyer, potentially with input from a cryptocurrency investigations specialist, is typically better structured, cites specific legal provisions, and includes an inventory of attachments, relevant screenshots and technical analysis.
Professional submissions are also often accompanied by motions for specific checks, monitoring of review deadlines and the possibility to appeal official inaction.
The technical aspect matters too: a crypto specialist can capture and properly present blockchain transaction data as a correctly drafted expert opinion, which is critical in incidents involving crypto assets. For example, analysis of fund flows, identification of related addresses and checks against open sources help present authorities with a fuller, more reliable picture of what happened.
Conclusions
A well-crafted report is your tool of protection. It records the fraud, preserves the chance to freeze funds and helps avoid potential legal and tax risks.
Even if the loss seems irrecoverable, properly prepared evidence and precise wording increase your chances of an investigation and of holding the perpetrators to account. Each report also feeds into the statistics that shape policy to combat crypto fraud.
Collect the data, present it carefully and contact the police in good time. Do not hesitate to involve specialists — the more precise the report, the higher the likelihood it will be taken up.