Your stolen crypto went to Coinbase or Binance. What happens next?

If your stolen crypto has been traced to an exchange like Coinbase, Binance, Kraken or OKX, that's good news. Exchanges know who owns each account, and they can lock the funds before the scammer cashes out.

What an exchange can do

• Freeze the account that received your money, so it can't be moved or withdrawn.
• Hold the funds until it's clear who they belong to.
• Return the money, usually once law enforcement or a court confirms it's yours.

Why your own complaint often isn't enough

Exchanges receive a flood of fraud reports. They act on requests that are well documented and come from people they trust, such as law enforcement or an experienced investigator. A message from a victim alone often gets a standard reply, while the scammer has time to move the money.

What to do now

1. Stop sending money, even if you're told one more payment will release your funds.
2. Report the theft to the exchange through its support page, and keep the case number.
3. Save your transaction history and the scammer's messages.
4. Report it at ic3.gov, the FBI's fraud reporting site, and keep that reference too.
5. Have the funds traced and the freeze request made by someone the exchange will act on, as soon as possible.

How we help

We work to get your money back. We find the exact accounts holding your funds, then take the evidence to the exchange and push it to freeze the money so it can be returned to you, working with law enforcement where needed. Once you engage us, tracing takes 48 hours, and recovery efforts start within a week.

• Can stolen crypto be frozen? How freezes work
• SIM swaps and stolen crypto: how we help
• How much does crypto recovery cost?

Van Orton Recovery is an American fraud recovery intelligence firm. Every case starts with a free, confidential assessment of where your money went and what can be done, usually within hours. Contact us at hello@vanortonrecovery.com or use the link below to get started.