Cryptocurrency fraud and theft

Cryptocurrency is a digital form of money that operates independently of a bank or government control.  Cryptocurrency uses a network to keep track of users' money. Cryptocurrency fraud, is when criminals use dishonest schemes involving digital currency to steal from people.

Santa Clara County District Attorney – Major Fraud Unit

The Major Fraud Unit handles complex fraud cases, including cryptocurrency-related crimes. (Fraud | City of Santa Clara)

•  Phone: (408) 792-2974

• Email:

• Address: 70 West Hedding Street, West Wing, San Jose, CA 95110

• Complaint Form: File a Major Fraud Complaint (File a major fraud complaint | Office of the District Attorney | County of Santa Clara, Scams | Office of the Sheriff | County of Santa Clara)

Seek Consumer Protection Assistance

Santa Clara County District Attorney – Consumer Protection Unit

This unit mediates disputes between consumers and businesses and prosecutes unlawful business practices. (Consumer protection unit | Office of the District Attorney | County of Santa Clara)

•  Phone: (408) 792-2880

• Email: [email protected]

Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office

For incidents occurring in unincorporated areas or if you prefer to report anonymously:

•  Crime Tip Line: (408) 808-4431

• Anonymous Tip: Leave a Crime Tip (Leave a Crime Tip - Office of the Sheriff - County of Santa Clara, Report a crime tip | Office of the Sheriff | County of Santa Clara)

City of Santa Clara Police Department

Residents within the City of Santa Clara can report fraud online: (File a major fraud complaint | Office of the District Attorney | County of Santa Clara)

• Online Reporting: Report Fraud (Fraud | City of Santa Clara)

 City of San Jose Police Department

Residents within the City of Santa Clara can report fraud online: Report Crimes / Incidents Online | San Jose Police Department, CA ( www.sjpd.org/reporting-crime/report-crime-online)

• Online Reporting: ONLINE CRIME / INCIDENT REPORT

• Phone: (408) 277-8900

 FBI’s IC3:

• Call 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) 

• Local office:  San Francisco (415) 553-7400

• https://www.ic3.gov/

• (Operation Level Up - FBI).

 WHAT TO DO IN ADVANCE

 Protect Your Identity , Finances,  Educate Yourself 

If personal information was compromised: (Scam Awareness Resources | County Privacy Office | County of Santa Clara)

• Credit Bureaus:

  • Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

  • Experian: 1-888-397-3742

  • TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC): 1-877-438-4338 or Report Fraud (Fraud | City of Santa Clara, Scams | Office of the Sheriff | County of Santa Clara)

IdentityTheft.gov
If your personal data was exposed, use the FTC’s Identity Theft recovery plan (credit freezes, fraud alerts) at IdentityTheft.gov (What To Do if You Were Scammed | Consumer Advice).

Resources

Stay informed to prevent future incidents: (Report a crime tip | Office of the Sheriff | County of Santa Clara)

• Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union: Cryptocurrency Scam Awareness

• County Privacy Office: Scam Awareness Resources (Don’t Get Caught in a Cryptocurrency Scam! - Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union, Scam awareness resources | County Privacy Office | County of Santa Clara)

 Additional agencies for Crypto‐fraud assistance

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
  File a complaint at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and consult their “What To Know About Cryptocurrency and Scams” guide for spotting red flags and next steps (ReportFraud.ftc.gov - Federal Trade Commission, What To Know About Cryptocurrency and Scams | Consumer Advice).

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
  Submit complaints about unfair or deceptive financial practices (including crypto) via consumerfinance.gov/complaint (What To Know About Cryptocurrency and Scams | Consumer Advice).

• Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
  Report suspicious derivatives or other crypto-related commodity fraud at CFTC.gov/complaint (What To Know About Cryptocurrency and Scams | Consumer Advice).

• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
  If securities laws may have been violated (e.g. unregistered ICOs, Ponzi schemes), submit tips/complaints via the SEC’s online portal (sec.gov/tcr) or call 1-800-732-0330 (Digital Asset and “Crypto” Investment Scams – Investor Alert, Submit a Tip or Complaint - SEC.gov).

Law Enforcement & Hotlines

• National Elder Fraud Hotline (60+)
  Seniors can call 833-372-8311 for free assistance with IC3 filings and fraud recovery steps (Cryptocurrency - Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)).

• DOJ Criminal Division’s Crypto Enforcement Section
  The Justice Department’s Major Frauds Unit (MIMF) leads prosecutions of large-scale crypto scams; victims may inquire about restitution via justice.gov/criminal-fraud/crypto-enforcement (Crypto Enforcement - Criminal Division - Department of Justice).

State of California and  Local Resources

• California DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker
  Californians can report and research crypto scams in a live database at dfpi.ca.gov/consumers/crypto/crypto-scam-tracker (Crypto Scam Tracker - DFPI - CA.gov).

• State Attorney General’s Offices
  Most AG sites (e.g., California DOJ) provide online complaint forms, scam alerts, and enforcement updates—check yours for local reporting tools (DFPI Strengthens Partnership with CA Department of Justice to Stop ...).

Nonprofit & Industry Tools

• BBB Scam Tracker
  View and report crypto scams nationwide via the BBB’s Scam Tracker (Search for Scams | BBB Scam Tracker | Better Business Bureau).

• FINRA
  While focused on securities professionals, FINRA can handle complaints against brokers who peddle fraudulent crypto-based investments—file at finra.org/investors.