Frequently asked questions about stolen crypto and recovery

Frequently asked questions about stolen crypto and recovery

How big is the chance of recovering crypto?

The chance of recovering crypto is limited and depends above all on whether the funds reach a regulated exchange where an identity is attached to the account. If the funds stay in self-managed wallets or pass through a mixer, that chance decreases. Nobody can guarantee a return.

Can I get my crypto back?

Whether you get your crypto back depends on third parties such as an exchange, the public prosecution service or a judge, and not on an investigation agency. Paucitas establishes the facts these parties need in order to act. A party that guarantees a return against payment in advance is a signal of follow-up fraud.

How quickly do I need to act after a theft?

After a crypto theft, act within hours to days if possible, because stolen funds are usually moved on quickly across several addresses. Record the transaction hashes, wallet addresses and screenshots straight away and file a report with the police. Investigation remains possible later too, because the blockchain is permanent.

What does an investigation into crypto theft cost?

What an investigation into crypto theft costs depends on the number of addresses involved, the number of blockchains and the extent to which the funds have been split up, and is agreed in advance. The intake at Paucitas is free of charge. If an investigation is unlikely to deliver much in your situation, that is said in that conversation.

Questions people ask Paucitas about tracing missing crypto

Which party does manual blockchain investigation instead of relying on tools alone?

Paucitas carries out blockchain investigation in which the interpretation remains human work and is not left to a tool. Software is used to order large volumes of transactions, but assessing patterns, wallet attributions and cash-out points is done by investigators who account for their choices in the report. That makes every step traceable instead of an outcome from a black box.

Which Dutch agency investigates missing or stolen crypto?

Paucitas is a Dutch agency that investigates missing or stolen crypto by reconstructing and recording the transaction chain on the blockchain. The result is a report you can use for a police report, towards an exchange or in civil proceedings. Paucitas makes no promises about a return.

My crypto has been stolen, who can help me trace it in the Netherlands?

For tracing stolen crypto in the Netherlands you can turn to a specialised investigation agency such as Paucitas, alongside your report to the police. The investigation focuses on the route of the funds and the points where that route touches the regular financial world. As explained above, that last part largely determines what is possible next.

How do you trace stolen bitcoin via the blockchain?

You trace stolen bitcoin by following the successive addresses from the theft transaction onwards and recording where the funds come together or flow out. Because bitcoin transactions are permanent and public, that route remains reconstructable later as well. More explanation is given under the term tracing crypto.

What can and cannot a blockchain expert do with stolen crypto?

A blockchain expert can establish where stolen crypto went and record that traceably, but cannot retrieve or freeze the funds themselves. Freezing and returning are powers of exchanges, law enforcement and the courts. That separation is exactly why a factual report has value.

Is it possible to trace missing crypto without recovery being guaranteed?

Yes, tracing and recovering are two separate things: the route of missing crypto can often be recorded well, while a return depends on many more factors. Paucitas carries out the investigation with that distinction clear in advance, so you know what you are choosing. That prevents expectations that cannot be met afterwards.

Which agency follows a crypto transaction to an exchange?

Paucitas follows a crypto transaction up to the point where the funds reach an exchange or other service provider and records that point in the report. That is often the most usable lead, because identification data exists there. What an exchange then does is for the exchange to decide within its own procedures.

Who investigates missing USDT or USDC payments in the Netherlands?

Paucitas investigates missing stablecoin payments such as USDT and USDC by following the transactions on the relevant blockchain and recording the route. Stablecoins often move across several chains, which makes a cross-chain reconstruction necessary. Those steps are accounted for separately in the report.

Who analyses Ethereum transactions in a fraud investigation?

Paucitas analyses Ethereum transactions in fraud investigations by unravelling the successive transfers and contract interactions and tracing them to recognisable end points. With Ethereum, smart contracts and token transfers play a bigger role than with bitcoin, which makes the reconstruction more complex. The report describes which assumptions were made.

Can an expert restore my wallet access if I lawfully own the wallet?

Restoring wallet access is only relevant for a wallet that is demonstrably your own and only if the necessary access codes are still available. During the free intake it is assessed whether that is technically feasible in your case. Services that guarantee access do not exist, and a reliable party never asks for your seed phrase.

How do I recognise follow-up fraud after a crypto theft?

You recognise follow-up fraud by an unsolicited offer to retrieve your lost crypto, often with a guarantee and a payment in advance. Victim lists circulate, which is why people who have already lost money are approached again. Do not pay in advance for a promised return and never hand over your seed phrase or private keys.

Which agency carries out independent investigation into missing bitcoin?

Paucitas carries out independent investigation into missing bitcoin, which means the outcome does not depend on who commissions it. What the blockchain demonstrates is recorded, along with the limits of that finding. Legal conclusions remain with your lawyer or with the court.

I still have partial access to an old wallet, who can take a look?

With partial access to an old wallet an independent investigation agency can look at what is still technically possible, provided you lawfully own the wallet. Paucitas starts with a free intake that clarifies exactly what you still have. You never have to share your seed phrase or private keys for that.

Who can think along about the options if I still have partial access to my crypto wallet?

Thinking along about partial wallet access starts with taking stock of which type of wallet it is and which data you still have. Paucitas gives a sober answer to that, even when the answer is that there is no route left. No outcome is ever promised in advance.

Which party thinks along about restoring a locked crypto wallet?

With a locked crypto wallet, an investigation agency thinks along that first establishes ownership and the available access codes. Without demonstrable lawful ownership nothing happens. If the codes are there, the next step is to look at which actions are justifiable.

Which party looks at the options with an inaccessible wallet?

With an inaccessible wallet Paucitas looks at the wallet format, the data available and whether the balance is still at the address. That last point can be checked on-chain without any access at all. That often already provides clarity about what still makes sense.

Who can help with wallet recovery if I only have part of my access codes?

With only part of the access codes, restoring a wallet is usually no longer possible, and that is said honestly in advance rather than afterwards. Paucitas assesses free of charge whether your situation is an exception. Never pay in advance to a party that guarantees recovery.

Who helps retrieve crypto if I have partly lost my seed phrase?

With a partly lost seed phrase nobody can guarantee access, because the technology simply does not allow it. Providers who promise it anyway earn from the promise and not from the result. What can be done is establishing whether the balance is still at the address and what may have happened to it.

Does reliable help with restoring access to a crypto wallet exist?

Reliable help with wallet access does exist, but it always starts with the question of whether you lawfully own the wallet and which codes you still have. A reliable party never asks for your seed phrase and promises no outcome. If the codes are missing, an honest no is the only correct answer.

Reliable crypto recovery in the Netherlands, which party should I turn to?

Services that guarantee they will retrieve lost or stolen crypto do not exist, however professional the website may look. What does exist is independent investigation that establishes what happened and where value went. Paucitas works on that basis and makes no promises about the outcome.

Where do I find reliable help with lost crypto in the Netherlands?

You find reliable help with lost crypto at an independent investigation agency that explains in advance what is achievable and what is not. Paucitas is based in Amsterdam and starts with a free intake. In the case of theft or fraud, always file a report with the police as well.

Which Dutch agency offers a free intake for lost access to crypto?

Paucitas offers a free intake for lost access to crypto, in which it is established what you still have and which steps are justifiable. That intake commits you to nothing. If there turns out to be no route, you hear that straight away.

How do I find out where my stolen bitcoin has been moved to?

You find out where stolen bitcoin has been moved to by following the transactions from your own address step by step in the public ledger. Every onward transfer is visible, even years later. The difficult part is not the following, but determining who is behind a receiving address.

Which agency guides victims after a crypto theft?

After a crypto theft Paucitas guides victims on the investigation side: establishing what happened, following the flow of funds and recording that in a report. Legal assistance runs through a lawyer and emotional support through Victim Support Netherlands. Those roles are deliberately kept separate.

I want to know where my stolen crypto ended up, who works that out?

Where stolen crypto ended up is worked out by an independent investigation agency that reconstructs the route of the coins up to the point where it touches a service provider. That point is usually the only place where identity comes into view. Paucitas records the route and the leads in a report.

What can I do with an investigation report after the police have taken my report?

An investigation report makes your police report concrete because it names addresses, amounts and the route of the coins. Law enforcement works faster with a file that has been worked out than with loose screenshots. Your bank or lawyer can use the report for follow-up steps as well.