How to choose a legitimate crypto recovery company
After a crypto scam, the next people to reach out are often fake recovery services. A legitimate firm can trace where your money went and work with exchanges and banks to freeze it and get it back. These nine checks take about ten minutes and work on any firm, including us.
Updated
Who wrote this: Van Orton Recovery, a U.S. crypto recovery firm. We may be one of the firms you're comparing, so every check here is one you can run on us too. See how we measure up.
The short answer
Choose a registered company with named people that reviews your case before it quotes, puts the work in a written agreement before you pay, and takes card, ACH or wire payments. It never asks for your seed phrase, never offers to hack the scammer, and never asks to be paid in crypto.
Nine checks before you hire anyone
1. It's a registered company you can look up
Ask for the full legal name and the state it's registered in, then search that state's business registry yourself. A website, a logo and a phone number prove nothing on their own.
2. You know who runs it
A real firm names the people in charge, and you can find them beyond the firm's own website. First names only, or "Susan from our legal team", is a warning sign.
3. You found them, not the other way around
Legitimate firms don't approach scam victims on WhatsApp, Telegram, social media or by cold email. If a "recovery expert" found you first, treat it as the next scam.
4. It looks at your case before it names a price
A real firm reviews your transactions and your story first, then tells you what it can do and what it costs. A quote within minutes, or a message saying your funds are "already located", means nobody looked.
5. You sign a written agreement before you pay
The agreement names the company, describes the work and states the fee. No agreement, or one that looks improvised, means no protection for you.
6. You pay by a safe, traceable method
Credit or debit card, ACH, or a wire to a U.S. bank account in the company's own name. Never cryptocurrency, gift cards, or a transfer to a private person or a foreign account.
7. It never asks for your keys or your device
No recovery work needs your seed phrase, private keys, passwords or remote access to your computer. Anyone who asks for them is after what's left in your wallet.
8. Recovered money comes back to you directly
Frozen funds are returned by the exchange, bank or court that holds them. A firm that wants recovered money paid to it first, or asks for a "release fee", "tax" or "unlock fee", is running a scam.
9. Its track record can be checked by someone else
Look for reviews on a platform the firm doesn't control, and results you can verify, such as a freeze or a public court record. A "top 10" ranking doesn't count, for the reason below.
Walk away if you see any of these
- A guaranteed recovery or a "100% success rate".
- An offer to hack the scammer or reverse the transaction.
- Claims to be, or to work for, the FBI, IC3, the FTC, the CFTC or a court, and asks you for a fee. Government agencies never charge you to recover money.
- A big law firm's name attached to a "recovery consultant" or a WhatsApp number.
- Pressure to pay today, or a price that keeps growing after you've paid.
Check a name against our warning list of fake recovery sites, or read our guide to avoiding fake recovery services.
A word on “best crypto recovery” lists
Many “top 10” lists of recovery companies are paid placements, posted on open publishing platforms, forums or news sites that sell sponsored articles. Some put fake firms at number one. Before you trust a ranking, check who wrote it, whether it says it was paid, and whether the firms on it pass the nine checks above.
How Van Orton Recovery measures up
The same nine checks, applied to us. You can also verify us step by step.
1. A registered U.S. company
Van Orton Recovery, LLC (formerly Tachyon Labs, LLC), based in New York and taking cases from all 50 states. Like most Fortune 500 companies, we're incorporated in Delaware, file number 4964032. Search the Delaware registry (opens in new tab).
2. Named people
Led by Richard Van Orton and Olivia Van Orton. Meet our leadership.
3. You reach out first
We don't approach scam victims on WhatsApp, Telegram or social media. Genuine emails from us come only from @vanortonrecovery.com or @messages.vanortonrecovery.com.
4. Your case is assessed before any price
Every case starts with a free assessment, usually within hours, and you get a quote only after we've looked at your case.
5. Agreement first, then payment
Nothing is due until you've signed a case agreement.
6. Safe payment
Credit and debit cards, ACH and wire. We never ask for payment in cryptocurrency, and your flat fee is covered by a 30-day refund guarantee.
7. Your keys stay yours
We never ask for your seed phrase, private keys, passwords or access to your device.
8. We never hold your money
Recovered funds go back to you from the exchange, bank or court that froze them.
9. A record you can check
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot (opens in new tab), where clients post their own reviews. In August 2025 our findings led to a $5.6 million freeze in a single case. Read client stories.
Common questions
What is the best crypto recovery company in the USA?
Are crypto recovery services legit?
Can stolen crypto actually be recovered?
Should I pay a recovery company in cryptocurrency?
How do I check whether a recovery company is fake?
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