Can you get stolen crypto back?

You can sometimes get stolen crypto back, but not by undoing the transaction. Once it is confirmed, no one can pull it back from the blockchain. Recovery happens only if the stolen coins are traced to a point where someone has the power to freeze or seize them, and then returned through that company or a court.

Can stolen crypto be recovered?

It can, in specific situations:

• An exchange freezes it. Thieves often move coins to an exchange to cash out. Binance said in August 2024 that it had recovered or frozen about $73 million in stolen funds, most of it from hacks and thefts that happened outside Binance.
• A stablecoin issuer blocks it. Tether can freeze USDT at an address. In April 2026 it froze about $344 million on Tron in coordination with US authorities, as covered in can crypto be frozen. After the 2021 Poly Network hack, Tether froze $33 million in USDT and said it would likely reissue the tokens to the project.
• The thief gives it back. The Poly Network attacker returned nearly all of about $611 million within days. Cases like this are rare.

Bitcoin and ether have no issuer, so outside an exchange, a freeze is not possible.

How do you get stolen bitcoin back?

Usually through law enforcement and the courts, and slowly. In one Georgia case, a resident noticed unauthorized transactions from their own wallet in October 2024, losing about $124,000. The FBI traced most of it, prosecutors seized it through civil forfeiture, and about $84,000 was returned to the victim in November 2025.

Large cases take longer. The Block reported that bitcoin stolen from the exchange Bitfinex in 2016 was seized in 2022, and in January 2025 the US government told a court that more than 94,000 BTC should be returned to Bitfinex in kind.

Where many people are harmed, the Justice Department may run a remission process that pays victims from forfeited assets. Its April 2026 OneCoin program said participation is free.

Can you get crypto back after being scammed?

The same routes apply, but the odds are low, because scammers move funds quickly across wallets and services. The practical steps are to report fast to the exchange involved and to the authorities, keeping transaction IDs and addresses, as set out in what to do if you are scammed. The Georgia prosecutors urged victims to report to the FBI at ic3.gov even if they feel embarrassed.

People who lose crypto are often contacted by "recovery" firms, fake lawyers or fake officials asking for a fee first. These are a second scam, described in what are crypto recovery scams. Some tax systems allow a deduction for losses that cannot be recovered, covered in can you write off stolen crypto.

Rules differ by country and change often. Check with law enforcement or a qualified professional for your own situation.