If someone you met online is teaching you to invest in cryptocurrency, directing you to a trading website, or telling you to send crypto to a wallet, stop before making another transfer.
If you already sent cryptocurrency:
- Send nothing else—not a tax, fee, deposit, or “verification” charge.
- Save wallet addresses, transaction hashes, messages, and website or app details.
- Contact the exchange through its official app or website.
- Contact your bank or card provider if it funded the purchase.
- Report the incident to IC3 and the FTC.
If other payment methods, account credentials, or identity information were also involved, follow the broader checklist for what to do after sending money to someone you met online.
The romantic relationship and the investment opportunity may look like two separate parts of your life. In a crypto romance scam, they are often one coordinated operation. The relationship builds trust. The crypto transaction moves the money.
You do not need to understand blockchain, prove the website is fake, or confront the person before protecting yourself. You can pause now.
This guide focuses on the crypto-specific pattern: how the handoff from romance to investing works, why a professional-looking dashboard or small withdrawal does not prove legitimacy, and what to do if money has already moved. For the broader relationship pattern, start with romance scam warning signs.
This is general information, not legal, financial, cybersecurity, investment, or recovery advice.
The Short Answer: Do Not Send More
If the person wants you to:
- buy Bitcoin, Ether, Tether, or another cryptocurrency
- scan a QR code or copy a wallet address
- open an account at a crypto exchange
- move crypto from the exchange to a private wallet or investment site
- add more money because your “profits” are growing
- pay a tax, insurance charge, security deposit, or withdrawal fee
- borrow against savings, retirement funds, investments, or home equity
- keep the opportunity private from family or your bank
do not continue.
You are not required to make one more payment to learn whether the earlier payments were a mistake. You are not required to keep a promise made under pressure. You are not betraying a relationship by refusing to move money.
The Federal Trade Commission’s cryptocurrency scam guidance is unusually direct: do not mix online dating and investment advice. An online love interest who asks you to send crypto or offers to help you invest is presenting a scam pattern, not an ordinary dating disagreement.
If no money has moved, step away from the transaction. If money has moved, go to what to do after sending cryptocurrency.
How Romance Becomes the Delivery System for a Fake Investment
These scams rarely begin with a technical explanation of cryptocurrency. They begin with conversation.
The person may contact you through a dating app, social media, a community group, or an accidental-looking text. They remember details about your day. They message reliably. They may describe a divorce, bereavement, demanding job, or family situation that seems to mirror your own experience.
After trust develops, money enters the conversation indirectly. They mention a relative who understands markets, a private trading group, or their own success with crypto. They may say they are not asking you for money. They are merely offering to teach you.
That distinction can make the proposal feel safer. But the practical result is the same: the person is using romantic trust to direct a financial decision.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center describes a common sequence:
- A person makes contact through dating sites, social media, or text.
- They build trust through attention, flattery, shared experiences, and romantic interest.
- They introduce an investment opportunity.
- They instruct the target to open a real exchange account and buy cryptocurrency.
- They direct the crypto to a separate wallet or an “investment platform” they control.
- The platform displays apparent gains and encourages larger deposits.
- Withdrawals are blocked unless more taxes or fees are paid.
The exchange may be real while the destination is not
One confusing part of a crypto romance scam is that the first company you use may be legitimate.
The person may guide you through opening an account at a recognizable cryptocurrency exchange. The exchange lets you convert dollars into crypto. That legitimate step can make everything afterward feel legitimate too.
But then you are told to move the crypto somewhere else:
- a wallet address the person sends you
- a QR code
- a website with a trading dashboard
- an app installed from a link
- a “liquidity mining” or private investment account
Once the crypto leaves the exchange for a wallet controlled by the scam operation, the balance shown on the new site may be nothing more than numbers on a screen.
A polished dashboard is not proof
A fake crypto investment platform can have account logins, customer support, charts, two-factor authentication, transaction histories, and a portfolio that appears to update in real time. Professional design does not establish who controls the site or whether the displayed assets exist.
The name may resemble a real financial company. The web address may differ by one word or letter. The person may supply a customer-service contact who answers quickly and appears knowledgeable.
Treat every part of that environment as unverified if the route into it came through an online romantic interest.
Warning Signs That the Crypto Opportunity Is Part of the Scam
You do not need every sign before stopping. The combination of online romance and directed crypto investing is already enough reason to step back.
They guide every transaction
They tell you which exchange to use, which cryptocurrency to buy, how much to purchase, which buttons to press, and where to send it. They may remain on the phone or messaging app while you complete each step.
This can feel like patient teaching. It also prevents you from pausing long enough to seek independent advice.
The first amount is deliberately manageable
The person may suggest starting with an amount you can afford to lose. That does not make the opportunity safer. A smaller opening transfer can be a test of whether you will follow instructions and a way to make the next request feel less dramatic.
Your account shows unusually steady profits
Real investments fluctuate and carry risk. A dashboard that seems to rise predictably, especially after every deposit, may be designed to reward you psychologically rather than report a real market position.
Screenshots of the other person’s wealth, testimonials in a chat group, and messages from supposed customers are easy to stage.
You can withdraw a small amount
A small successful withdrawal can be persuasive: money returned to your bank or exchange appears to prove the platform works.
It does not. IC3 warns that scammers may allow an early withdrawal to create confidence and encourage much larger deposits. The small payment may be treated as the cost of building your trust.
Larger withdrawals require more money
When you try to withdraw a meaningful amount, a new condition appears:
- taxes must be prepaid
- the account needs to be upgraded
- a security or anti-money-laundering deposit is required
- your credit score on the platform is too low
- your account was frozen because you made an error
- a matching deposit will prove the wallet belongs to you
Do not pay. A legitimate tax obligation is not normally resolved by sending more crypto to an unfamiliar wallet supplied by a private trading website. In this scam pattern, the “fee” is another extraction.
The relationship changes when you hesitate
Warmth becomes anger. The person says you are ruining a shared future, wasting a rare opportunity, or showing that you never trusted them. They may threaten to leave, withdraw affection, or claim they invested their own money on your behalf.
That pressure is information. A reasonable person can accept that you will not take financial instructions from someone you met online.
What to Say Before You Send Anything
You do not need to debate the market, inspect the code behind the website, or persuade the person that your concern is valid.
Use a short boundary:
“I do not make investments or send cryptocurrency based on an online relationship.”
Or:
“I am not sending money, crypto, fees, or account information. Please do not ask again.”
If you want time without announcing a final decision:
“I am pausing all transactions while I review this independently.”
Do not let the person choose the “independent” expert. A supposed uncle, mentor, customer-service agent, compliance officer, tax official, or recovery specialist inside the same network is not outside verification.
If you have opened an exchange account but have not transferred crypto out, stop there. Do not scan the QR code, paste the wallet address, or share a screenshot that reveals account balances, login details, recovery phrases, or authentication information.
Talk to someone outside the relationship. You can say:
“Someone I met online has been helping me with a crypto investment. I want you to look at the messages before I do anything else.”
If You Already Sent Cryptocurrency
Act promptly, but do not let urgency push you into another payment.
Cryptocurrency transfers are typically irreversible. The FTC explains that crypto payments usually can be returned only if the recipient sends them back. That makes recovery uncertain, but it does not make reporting pointless.
1. Stop all additional transfers
Do not send:
- a withdrawal fee
- tax or insurance money
- a matching deposit
- a payment to restore your “credit score”
- a test transaction to verify your wallet
- more money to preserve a bonus or avoid a penalty
- a fee to a person promising to trace or recover the funds
The balance shown on the website may be designed to keep you paying. Do not treat it as money you must rescue with one final deposit.
2. Preserve records before blocking
When it is safe and practical, save the information first. Take screenshots or export records before the account, website, or messages disappear.
Do not continue chatting to collect more evidence. Preserve what you already have. If the person is threatening you, sharing intimate material, or creating an immediate physical concern, contact local law enforcement or emergency services as appropriate.
3. Contact the exchange you used
If you bought or sent the cryptocurrency through an exchange, contact that company through its official app or website. Do not use a support link, phone number, email address, or “agent” supplied by the suspected scammer.
Tell the exchange:
- you believe a transfer was connected to a romance or investment scam
- when the transaction occurred
- the type and amount of cryptocurrency
- the destination wallet address
- the transaction hash or ID
Ask what fraud-reporting or account-security steps apply. The exchange may want the destination details for review or records. Do not assume it can reverse an external blockchain transaction, freeze a wallet it does not control, or guarantee a refund.
The FTC specifically advises reporting cryptocurrency scams to the exchange company used to send the money.
4. Contact the bank or card provider that funded the purchase
If money moved from your bank account, debit card, credit card, or another payment account into the exchange, contact that institution’s fraud department too.
Explain the full sequence accurately: you authorized the purchase or transfer, but did so because of a fraudulent relationship and fake investment. Ask what account-protection or fraud-review options are available.
Do not disguise the transaction or claim your account was hacked if that is not what happened. Clear records help the institution understand the event.
If you shared bank credentials, card details, passwords, identity documents, or authentication codes, ask what additional account-security steps are appropriate.
5. Secure accounts without following the scammer’s instructions
Change passwords for accounts that may have been exposed, starting with your email and financial accounts. Use the official website or app, not a link from a message.
If you installed remote-access software, a crypto app from an unofficial link, or a browser extension at the person’s direction, stop using it and seek qualified technical help. Do not pay a stranger online to “clean” the device or recover the wallet.
Never share a wallet recovery phrase, seed phrase, private key, one-time passcode, or screen-sharing access with anyone claiming to help. Legitimate support should not need the secret words that control your wallet.
Exchange procedures differ. Coinbase’s official guidance says support will not request passwords, two-step codes, seed phrases, remote access, or external transfers. Kraken’s official guidance similarly warns against disclosing passwords or seed phrases. Follow the official instructions for the exchange you used.
What Evidence to Save
The FBI’s IC3 cryptocurrency guidance says transaction details are especially important. Save what you can without delaying the report.
Transaction information
- cryptocurrency type and amount
- destination and originating wallet addresses
- transaction hash or transaction ID
- date and time of each transfer
- exchange account statements or confirmation emails
- receipts for bank, card, wire, or crypto ATM funding
- QR codes or wallet-address screenshots
The transaction hash is the identifier for a particular blockchain transfer. It is different from the wallet address, which identifies the sending or receiving destination. If you are unsure which is which, save both.
Communication and identity information
- dating or social profile name and link
- usernames, display names, and profile photos
- phone numbers and email addresses
- text messages, emails, and voice messages
- the platform where contact began and where it continued
- dates when the relationship, investment discussion, and payments began
Website and application information
- domain names and full website addresses
- names of apps or browser extensions
- screenshots of the investment dashboard
- customer-support chats
- demands for taxes, fees, deposits, or additional payments
- names or contact details of supposed advisors, mentors, or support agents
Do not worry if the file is incomplete. IC3 says to submit a complaint even if a financial loss did not occur and to provide as much information as you have.
Where to Report a Crypto Romance Scam
In the United States:
- Report the profile or conversation to the dating app, social network, or messaging service.
- Contact the cryptocurrency exchange you used through its independently located official support or security channel.
- File with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- File with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov. Include the transaction details, exchanges, websites, apps, communications, and timeline you saved.
- Contact your bank, card provider, or other funding institution if traditional money was used to buy the crypto.
- Consider a local police report if you need a local record, face threats, or were targeted through a local contact.
Report promptly and include as much transaction information as possible. Reporting does not guarantee investigation or recovery.
If you are 60 or older in the United States, the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-372-8311 can help with reporting steps and filing an IC3 complaint.
If you are outside the United States, use your country’s national fraud-reporting service, consumer-protection agency, financial regulator, or police reporting channel, along with the exchange and communication platform involved.
For a fuller reporting sequence, read how to report a romance scammer.
Do Not Pay a Recovery Service or an “Unlock” Fee
After a loss, you may receive messages from someone claiming to be:
- a blockchain investigator
- a crypto recovery specialist
- a lawyer or government agent
- an exchange employee
- a hacker who can retrieve the funds
- another victim who knows the right contact
They may know the amount you lost, the wallet address, or details of the original scam. That information does not prove they can help. The original operation may be contacting you again under a different identity.
The IC3 warns about cryptocurrency recovery services, especially those charging an upfront fee.
Do not pay someone who contacts you unexpectedly, guarantees recovery, asks for another crypto transfer, or requests your seed phrase, private key, password, or authentication code.
Start with the exchange, your financial institution, IC3, the FTC, and qualified professionals you locate independently. Be careful with advertising that appears when you search for recovery help; a paid search result is not proof of legitimacy.
A Quick Crypto Romance Scam Check
Pause if any of these apply:
- I met this person through dating, social media, or an unexpected message.
- The relationship became emotionally intense before we met in person.
- The person introduced cryptocurrency or an investment opportunity.
- The person or their contact chose the exchange, wallet, app, or trading site.
- I was guided step by step through buying and transferring crypto.
- The platform shows smooth or unusually high returns.
- A small withdrawal made me feel confident enough to deposit more.
- A larger withdrawal now requires taxes, fees, or another deposit.
- I am being told to keep the investment private.
- The person becomes angry, distant, or urgent when I pause.
- I am considering borrowing or using retirement savings to protect earlier deposits.
- Someone now promises to recover the money for an upfront fee.
One relationship-based request to send crypto is enough reason to stop. You do not need a perfect score or conclusive proof.
For a broader pattern check, use the Scam Red Flags Checklist. If the person switches to gift cards, read the focused guide to gift card romance scams. The payment method may change; the boundary does not.
Official Resources Checked for This Guide
- FTC: What To Know About Cryptocurrency and Scams
- FTC: What To Know About Romance Scams
- FBI IC3: Cryptocurrency
- FBI IC3: Investment Fraud
- FBI IC3: Guidance for Cryptocurrency Scam Victims
- Coinbase: Technical Support and Impersonation Scams
- Kraken: Protect Yourself From Scams
These resources were checked on June 24, 2026. Platform procedures can change, so use the official support or security page for the exchange you actually used.
Your Next Decision Can Be Small
You may be grieving two things at once: the money and the relationship you believed you had. That can make stopping feel like admitting that everything was false.
You do not have to settle the entire story today. Make the next decision smaller:
- Send nothing else.
- Save the records.
- Tell one person you trust.
- Contact the exchange and any funding institution through official channels.
- File the reports.
If money requests are continuing in another form, use what to do if someone you met online asks for money. For prevention and privacy steps before the next conversation, return to the Safe Dating & Scam Protection hub or read online dating safety after 50.