What steps should I take to recover stolen cryptocurrency and improve security?
Recovering stolen cryptocurrency is extremely difficult, since blockchain transactions are irreversible, Trust Wallet cannot reverse a transaction, freeze funds, or issue a refund once it's confirmed on-chain, regardless of how the theft occurred. However, there are still steps you can take to support a potential investigation and strengthen your security going forward.
Immediate Actions Post-Theft
Report the Incident to Law Enforcement: Contact your local law enforcement or cybercrime unit to file a report. This is a critical step, law enforcement has the legal authority to formally request that a centralized exchange investigate, flag, or freeze funds tied to a reported crime, something Trust Wallet is not able to do on your behalf. Provide all relevant details, including transaction hashes, destination addresses, and your wallet address.
Notify the Relevant Exchange (if applicable): If the stolen funds were traced to a centralized exchange, you or law enforcement can share the transaction hashes and details with that exchange's compliance team. Exchanges generally act on such requests when they come through law enforcement or a valid legal process.
Evidence Collection and Documentation
Gather all possible evidence related to the theft: transaction hashes, wallet addresses, screenshots, URLs, and any approvals or communications related to the incident. Proper documentation strengthens your case when working with law enforcement or an exchange.
Tracing and Recovery Possibilities
Trust Wallet can, in some cases, help trace the movement of stolen funds using blockchain explorers, this may reveal which service or exchange the funds passed through, which can be useful information to include in a law enforcement report. Tracing does not guarantee recovery, and any further action (such as freezing funds) must come through law enforcement or the receiving exchange directly, not Trust Wallet.
A Note on Multi-Signature Wallet Scams
If your funds are held in a fraudulent multi-signature wallet (where a scammer holds a second required key), no recovery is possible through any means, tracing, law enforcement, or otherwise, until the funds have actually left the wallet. In this case, the safest action is to stop using the wallet entirely and avoid sending any further funds into it.
Strengthening Security Post-Incident
Create a new wallet and move any remaining assets you control to it.
Use reputable anti-phishing browser extensions.
Follow wallet safety best practices, such as enabling additional security features and using hardware wallets for long-term storage.
Periodically review and revoke unnecessary token approvals using a tool like revoke.cash or a blockchain explorer's approval checker, even for platforms you trust.
By taking these steps, you can support any investigation into your case and better protect your assets going forward.
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