Frequently Asked Questions
BTCAbuse.com is a public database of Bitcoin and Ethereum addresses used by scammers and criminals.
Crypto is anonymous if used perfectly. Yet, no one is perfect. It only takes one mistake to find an abuser's real identity. Making fraudulent addresses public hinders criminals from converting crypto back into official currency.
DO NOT PAY A RANSOM! DO NOT REPLY.
Blackmail in crypto is common. Criminals send thousands of emails per day claiming to have pictures or videos of people in compromising situations. If they had dirt on you they would use it.
Scammers buy old passwords from the darknet. This is a scare tactic. They only have your old password.
Check if your password has been leaked.
What should I do? Change your password, never use old passwords, and enable Two-Factor Authentication.
Sometimes the email will appear to be sent from your own email address. Criminals will claim this as "proof" that they have hacked your email. Spoofing an email is very easy.
Read more about sextortion scams.
You can report Internet crimes to the FBI at https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx. You can also report incidents to your local Law Enforcement.
Yup. Use the link below to view all distinct addresses that have been reported. The API will always be free and open. If you use our API in your project please link to us.
https://www.btcabuse.com/api
If you want to report addresses automatically check out the full API Documentation.
No, to protect the integrity of the BTCA database we will not remove or edit any reports.
There is nothing we can do. No bank or government has the power to freeze an account or seize funds on the blockchain. That is why criminals use crypto.
Our goal is to let the public know of addresses used in a crime. This should make it harder for attackers to scam others and cash in crypto. At least, attackers will have to spend more effort on laundering the money.
One reason to file a report is to help others see they are not alone. Lots of people are recieving the exact same scam emails. Sharing your story may help prevent others from falling victim to these scams.
Reporting also helps fight back against scams by marking the addresses as illegitimate in a public record for all time. Someone may research the crypto address of a person seeking to cash in, see it listed here, and refuse the scammer. Large services may even check this database automatically and flag transactions from these addresses.
Criminals could circumvent these measures by transferring money to another address (with a transaction fee), or by using a laundering service (with a very large fee). That would cost scammers time and money, and may not even work because coin-tracing algorithms improve every year. One thing is for sure, their crimes will be recorded here forever for anyone they're doing business with, helping discourage future fraud and extortion.