How to file an IC3 complaint: a free guide

A plain-English walk-through for reporting a crypto scam to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Free, like all of our guides. No sign-up.

Not affiliated with the FBI. Not a recovery service. WalletTies is an independent company. This guide is free general information, not legal advice. You file your complaint yourself, at no cost.

The short version

There's no minimum loss. IC3 asks people to file "regardless of the amount lost", and even "if a financial loss did not occur". [5] [3]
Filing is free. "The IC3 will never directly contact you for information or money," and it "will never ask for payment to recover lost funds." [1] [4]
You file it yourself at www.ic3.gov. Type the address yourself.
IC3 doesn't accept attachments. Paste the details into the form, and keep all your originals. [2]
IC3 doesn't investigate. Analysts review complaints and pass information to law enforcement and partner agencies "as appropriate". You may never hear back, and that's normal. [2]

Before you start: what to gather

IC3 asks for "cryptocurrency addresses; the amounts and types of cryptocurrencies; transaction hashes; and the dates and times of the transactions." [3] Put these in one place first:

Wallet addresses: yours, and every address you sent money to.
Transaction IDs (also called transaction hashes or signatures) for each payment. You can copy them from your wallet app's history or a public explorer.
Amounts and coins: for example 42 SOL or 6,050 USDC, and roughly what it was worth in dollars at the time.
Dates and times, with your time zone.
How they reached you: usernames, phone numbers, website addresses, app or group names.
Screenshots of chats, posts and sites. Save them now, because they often get deleted.
Any bank wire or bank transfer: your bank, the date, the amount and the receiving account.

Sent a bank wire or bank transfer in the last few days? Call your bank first, right now, then file with IC3 straight away. Speed matters: the Michigan Attorney General warns that "the longer you wait, the harder it is to trace or freeze stolen funds." [7]

Never share your seed phrase or private key with anyone. IC3 doesn't need it, and neither does anyone honest.

Filing, step by step

Go to www.ic3.gov by typing it yourself. If you use a search engine, skip any "sponsored" results. [4]
Start a complaint and fill in your own contact details, then anything you know about who scammed you.
Enter each payment: amount, coin, the address you sent from and to, the transaction ID, and the date and time.
Describe what happened, in order, in plain words. Paste in the details rather than attaching files. If you have a WalletTies report, paste its IC3 copy-paste text here.
Review and submit. Keep a copy of what you entered and the date you filed.
Keep your originals: screenshots, emails, PDFs and receipts. IC3 says you "must be sure to keep all original documents"; if an agency opens a case, it may ask you for them directly. [2]

What happens after you file

IC3 says: "You will not hear from the IC3. The IC3 does not conduct investigations." Investigation and prosecution are up to the agencies that receive the information, and "the FBI is unable to respond to every complaint." [2] Silence doesn't mean your report was ignored.

Small reports still count. IC3 says its data is "most impactful in the aggregate": combined with other complaints, it lets the FBI connect cases. [5] Exact wallet addresses and transaction IDs are what make that link possible.

Most people don't get their money back, and nobody honest can promise that. Filing is still worth it.

Other places to report

File with IC3 first, then add these as they fit your case:

The FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Reports go into a database law enforcement uses to spot patterns and bring cases. The FTC doesn't resolve individual reports. [6]
Your state attorney general. Find yours here. [9] In Michigan, call the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Team at 877-765-8388 or use the online complaint form. Michigan notes that complaints may become public records and may be shared with the business involved. [8]
Your local police. A police report is often what an exchange asks for before it will act on stolen funds.
Age 60 or older? The National Elder Fraud Hotline (833-372-8311) can help you file an IC3 complaint. [3]
Fake trading or investment platform? You can also tell the CFTC. [10]

The Michigan Attorney General's advice is to "quickly report the crime to your bank, the FTC, IC3, the FBI local office, your local police, and the Michigan Department of Attorney General." [7]

Watch out for IC3 and FBI impersonators

Scammers pretend to be the IC3 and the FBI. The FBI warns they use fake IC3 websites and even AI-generated videos, and they target people who have already lost money. [4]

IC3 will never directly contact you for information or money. [1]
IC3 will never ask for payment to recover lost funds, and will never refer you to a company that asks for payment to recover funds. [4]
IC3 has no social media presence. Anyone messaging you as "IC3" on social media is not IC3. [4]
Anyone who promises to get your crypto back for an upfront fee is very likely running another scam.

Where WalletTies fits

You don't need us to file. We'll never suggest a report that costs more than makes sense for what you lost. Lost under $500? This guide and our Free Evidence Check are probably all you need. A paid WalletTies report organizes your evidence for IC3, with copy-paste text for the form; filing itself is free. See what we suggest for your loss.

Sources

Sources checked October 17, 2026. Quotes are from the official pages above. "Filing is free" is our plain-English summary of IC3's statements that it never asks for money.

Not affiliated with the FBI. Not a recovery service. WalletTies is an independent company. This guide is free general information, not legal advice. You file your complaint yourself, at no cost.