Crypto platforms with regulator warnings: search the list

This list holds 41,022 crypto, trading and investment platforms named in warnings and complaints from more than 80 regulators: in the U.S. the SEC, the CFTC and California's Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), and worldwide through IOSCO's I-SCAN alert network, including the UK's FCA, Spain's CNMV, France's AMF, Australia's ASIC and Hong Kong's SFC. It also includes recovery sites our Fraud Intelligence Unit documented. Every entry shows who listed it, when, and a link to the source.

It is the largest list of its kind published by a fraud recovery firm.

Not finding a platform doesn't mean it's safe. Use the checker, then run the registration checks below.

How we build this list

We take entries only from regulators' own published lists, and every entry links to its source. Here is what each listing means, in the regulator's words where it gives them:

• Regulators worldwide. I-SCAN alerts come from more than 80 regulators. A few of them (the UK's FCA, Hong Kong's SFC, France's AMF, Spain's CNMV, Australia's ASIC and the Ontario and British Columbia commissions) we also read directly. Each entry links to the regulator's own warning.
• Dates. Most entries show the date the regulator gives. When a regulator gives none, we show the date the alert was in I-SCAN. DFPI doesn't date its entries, so we show the date of the first archived copy of its tracker that includes the entry.
• Websites are the ones the regulator published, with the date of the listing. Old domains can expire and be bought by someone else, so check the date next to each one.
• Our own investigations. Our investigators research names that victims and the industry flag: the website, its registration record and regulator lists worldwide. When we find a regulator's listing, the entry shows it. Otherwise the entry is marked "Found by our investigation" and shows what we found. Genuine firms that scammers impersonated aren't in this list, because the real firms aren't the subject of those warnings. They have their own page: real firms scammers impersonate.
• Updates. We check the regulators' lists every week and review each new entry before it appears.

Not on the list? How to check a platform yourself

Firms that offer investing to Americans should show up in at least one of these official searches:

• FINRA BrokerCheck (opens in new tab): U.S. brokers and brokerage firms
• NFA BASIC (opens in new tab): futures, forex and commodity firms registered with the CFTC
• SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (opens in new tab): investment advisers
• FinCEN MSB Registrant Search (opens in new tab): crypto exchanges and money transmitters registered as money services businesses
• Your state securities regulator (NASAA) (opens in new tab): state registrations and alerts

Warning signs

• You were asked to pay a fee, a "tax" or a deposit before a withdrawal.
• You were introduced by a stranger, a dating match or a group "mentor" on WhatsApp, Telegram or social media.
• The returns are steady and large, day after day.
• The app came from a link instead of the official app store.
• The website is only weeks or months old.

More checks: How to check if a crypto trading website is real.

Already sent money? What to do now

1. Stop sending money, including any "fee" or "tax" to unlock a withdrawal.
2. Save the website address, the wallet addresses you paid, your transaction IDs and your messages.
3. Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov (opens in new tab) and to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov (opens in new tab). How to report a crypto scam.
4. Tell your bank or exchange which transfers went to the platform.
5. Get your funds traced. Every crypto deposit can be followed on the blockchain, and when the money reaches an exchange, we push the exchange holding it to freeze it. How freezes work.

Watch for recovery offers that arrive after a loss: fake recovery services target people who lost money to a platform. See the recovery sites we've found.

Corrections

If you represent a firm on this list and believe an entry is wrong, email hello@vanortonrecovery.com with the entry's name, your role, what is wrong and your evidence. We reply within 2 business days and decide within 10. If a regulator removes a listing, we remove our entry within a week and keep a dated note.

Download the data

The list is open data under CC BY 4.0 (opens in new tab): download it as CSV or JSON, or find it on GitHub (opens in new tab). Please credit "Van Orton Recovery". Entries listed only by the UK FCA or the Ontario or British Columbia securities commissions are left out of the download, because those regulators restrict reuse of their data; they stay on this page with a link to each warning.

Common questions