Questions and answers

No. Reporting and your draft statement pack are free, and you don't have to use any of CRYME Blockchain Forensics's paid services.

Anyone who has lost money in a crime involving crypto — whether you paid in crypto, or paid by bank transfer or card to buy crypto or to a fake platform. It's built for South Africa: the guidance is about SAPS, South African banks and the FSCA.

Yes. Every report helps: police can link cases with the same scammers, and the addresses you paid to can help warn exchanges. Small losses are often part of bigger schemes. What may not be worth it for a small loss is paying for a private investigation — reporting is free.

Yes. Give what you have. The form tells you what helps most, "I don't know" is always accepted, and anything missing is marked as a note for the investigating officer. You can come back and add more later.

Yes. Add bank payments the same way. We can only check crypto payments against the blockchain, but bank payments still go into your payment schedule with the details you give.

If you can't withdraw, you're being asked to pay before you can withdraw, or the people you dealt with have disappeared, it's very likely a scam. Stop paying and read Just been scammed? Start here. You can still report while you're unsure.

About 20–30 minutes for most people. You get a private link so you can stop and come back.

A written account of what happened, in numbered paragraphs, in the first person — the kind of statement the police take when you open a case. It's a draft: you read it, correct it and only sign the final version in front of a commissioner of oaths.

It's built from your own answers. Software helps arrange and word them in plain language; your name, ID number and contact details are removed before any text is processed. Every paragraph is linked to something you told us, amounts and addresses come from the blockchain or your own answers — never made up — and you confirm every paragraph.

The police take your statement in their own way. Some officers will use your draft as it is; others will use it to write the statement in their own format. Either way, you arrive with your facts in order, your payments checked and your evidence listed. Read whatever you sign carefully.

A code in your pack's footer. Anyone — for example a police officer or an exchange — can enter it at /verify to confirm the pack was produced by this service. It shows only the reference number and date.

Yes. Use your private link to go back, edit your answers or payments, and produce a new version. Each version gets its own document code.

Yes. This service doesn't open a police case. In South Africa a fraud case is opened in person at a police station, where you'll get a CAS number. How to report in South Africa.

No. We don't recover funds, and no honest service can promise that. Funds can sometimes be frozen by banks, exchanges or stablecoin issuers, usually after a police request — and the sooner, the better. Your pack helps by giving them exact, checked details.

Only if the funds reached an exchange or service that holds them, and usually only when the police or a court asks. Tell the exchange you sent from straight away, and give them your CAS number when you have it.

The case number SAPS gives you when you open a case, usually by SMS. Quote it every time you contact the police, your bank or an exchange about the case — and add it to your report here.

No. The Hawks (DPCI) take serious and organised commercial crime cases by referral from SAPS. Open your case at a police station, and you can ask the investigating officer in writing whether it has been or will be referred.

The FSCA licenses crypto and investment providers and warns the public about unlicensed ones. Report an unlicensed platform to it so others are protected. It doesn't investigate individual losses or return money.

Never. If you try to type one into this site, we block it and don't store it. Anyone asking for these is trying to steal from you.

We never contact people first, and never ask for money. Read How to check it's really us and send us the details so we can warn others.

You, and the CRYME team reviewing your report. Your ID number, contact details and evidence files are encrypted. We don't sell your information or share it without your permission. See the privacy policy.

Only if you agree: the crypto addresses you paid to, which blockchain they're on, and the type of scam. Never your name, ID, contact details, story or evidence. WatchTower helps exchanges spot payments going to scammers. Addresses are reviewed by a person before they're shared, and exchanges' own customer-deposit addresses are labelled as such, not as scammers.

Yes. Email info@cryme.co.za with your reference number.

CRYME Blockchain Forensics, a South African blockchain forensics firm. About this service.

Because people who've just been scammed shouldn't have to pay to be taken seriously, and because better reports and shared scam addresses make it harder for scammers everywhere. CRYME earns its living from separate forensic, training and compliance work for businesses, lawyers and liquidators.

No. Reporting doesn't commit you to anything. We won't contact you to sell you anything.

Not unless you choose to share it. They only know that someone they referred started a report — not who you are or what you wrote.