How do you report a crypto theft to the police?

Where to file

In almost every country you can report at a police station or send a written complaint to the public prosecutor. Many police forces also have cybercrime units or online reporting portals. These are useful for a first report, but for a significant theft a written complaint with annexes, usually drafted by a lawyer, is more effective.

File where you live, even if the thief, the platform or the exchange is in another country. Your local authority is the one that opens the case and, if needed, asks other states for help. In some countries a specialised unit handles cybercrime or financial crime, and the police can tell you whether your case will be passed on.

What to bring

• A chronological account of what happened, with dates and times.
• Your addresses, the receiving addresses and the transaction hashes, with the blockchain used.
• Proof that the funds were yours: exchange statements, purchase records, wallet history.
• Chats, emails, websites and screenshots linked to the theft or fraud.
• A tracing report naming the exchanges and issuers that received the funds.

Which offences usually apply

The legal qualification is for the prosecutor, and each country names its offences differently. Most national criminal laws, however, cover the same kinds of conduct.

• Theft or unauthorised access, when someone took control of your wallet, device or account.
• Fraud, when you were deceived into sending the funds yourself, as with fake investment platforms.
• Computer fraud or data offences, when systems or data were manipulated.
• Money laundering, for those who move or convert the proceeds afterwards.

Deadlines and your role in the proceedings

In some countries certain offences are prosecuted only if the victim makes a formal request within a short time limit. In Italy, for example, this request (querela) must generally be filed within three months of learning of the facts. Filing early removes any risk on deadlines.

Most systems also let the victim take part in the proceedings, for example as a civil party or private claimant, with rights to see the file and to claim damages. This often has to be declared formally, so ask your lawyer or the authority how it works where you file.

When the funds have gone abroad

Crypto thefts are often cross-border: the thief, the exchange and the issuer may each be in a different country. The prosecutor can send disclosure or seizure requests abroad through mutual legal assistance, which can take months. Large exchanges and stablecoin issuers often accept requests directly from foreign authorities, which is faster.

Keep the reference number and a copy of the complaint, and send any new information to the authority promptly. Freeze requests sent in parallel by your representatives can bridge the time until a formal order arrives.

How Advisorn helps

Advisorn Forensics supports your lawyer with the technical part of the complaint, wherever it is filed: the tracing report, the list of intermediaries and the annexes the authorities need to act. We work with victims and lawyers in many countries.