When cryptocurrency is lost to fraud, a scam, or a compromised wallet, people understandably want to know where it went. Public blockchains such as Bitcoin and Ethereum record on-chain transactions openly, which makes Bitcoin tracing and wider crypto tracing possible in many cases. But tracing has real limits, and the market contains services that promise outcomes no one can deliver. This guide explains, in plain terms, what tracing can show, what it cannot, and how to prepare a request so the work is useful to you and to the people you may need to involve.
What It Is
Crypto tracing is the analysis of public blockchain data to follow the movement of digital assets from a starting point, usually a transaction or wallet address you provide, through subsequent addresses and transactions. Analysts map fund flows, group addresses that are likely controlled together, and identify when funds reach services that are publicly known, such as large exchanges, bridges, or mixers. The result is a structured report: a timeline, a flow map, observed destinations, balances at points in time, and confidence notes explaining how certain each link is. Tracing does not reveal the real-world identity behind an address on its own. Identity information, where it exists, is generally held by regulated service providers and is disclosed only through their own processes, often in response to law-enforcement or court requests. Any freeze or return of funds happens through exchanges, authorities, and legal processes. What it can do is give you an organised, evidence-based account of what happened on-chain to support reports to exchanges, police, lawyers, or insurers.
Who It Is For
Tracing is typically requested by:
- Individuals and businesses who lost digital assets to investment scams, phishing, or impersonation
- Companies whose hot wallet or treasury was accessed without authorisation
- Lawyers and advisers who need an organised on-chain summary for a client matter
- Compliance teams reviewing the history of funds received from a counterparty
What It Helps Clarify
A tracing report can help clarify:
- Where funds moved after leaving your wallet, and over what timeframe
- Whether funds reached identifiable services such as exchanges, which may hold account information
- Where the trail becomes uncertain, for example after mixers, privacy tools, cross-chain bridges, or off-chain movements such as internal exchange transfers or Lightning payments
- What information to include in a report to an exchange, the police, or a legal adviser
What's Included
- Gather transaction hashes (TXIDs), sending and receiving addresses, chains, tokens, amounts, and timestamps
- Keep screenshots of conversations, websites, and payment instructions related to the loss
- Note the exchange or wallet you used and any account statements
- Report the matter to local police or the relevant cybercrime unit and keep the reference number
- Do not share private keys, seed phrases, or wallet logins with anyone, including people offering help
- Be cautious of anyone who contacts you offering to get money back, especially for an upfront fee
- Ask any tracing provider to explain its confidence levels and limits in writing
What's Not Included
- Returning, freezing, or reversing funds; tracing only analyses and reports on public data
- Identifying a real person behind an address with certainty
- Access to exchange account records, which are disclosed only through the exchange's own processes
- Hacking, wallet access, or bypassing exchange or wallet controls
- Legal advice, court testimony, or representation
When to Choose It
Request tracing when you have at least one confirmed transaction or address to start from and a clear purpose, such as preparing a report for an exchange or the police, or supporting advice from a lawyer. Act reasonably promptly, because funds that reach an exchange may be easier to discuss with that exchange before they move on, but be wary of urgency created by others. If someone contacts you unprompted claiming they can get your money back, treat it as a likely second scam. This article is general information and not legal advice.
Our Approach
Good tracing starts with good inputs. Provide the starting transactions, a short timeline, and what you hope to use the report for. The analyst then follows flows within agreed wallets, chains, and timeframes, recording each step and the confidence attached to it. When the trail reaches a known service, the report says so and explains what that service might be able to do through its own processes. When the trail becomes unclear, the report says that too. Our Digital Asset Tracing service analyses authorised public-chain evidence across agreed wallets, transactions, tokens, chains, and timeframes and produces an escalation-ready report with confidence notes. It is an evidence and reporting service that works from public blockchain data, with private keys and wallet access staying entirely with you; legal advice and court matters sit with your legal advisers. Use the report as a well-organised starting point for the people with the authority to act on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Get Started
Need an organised account of where digital assets moved?
Share the starting transactions, chains, and what you plan to use the report for. We will confirm a proportionate tracing scope in writing.
Request a written scope