Our very first cryptocurrency case arrived in 2018 and involved a $9,400 unauthorized Bitcoin withdrawal from a custodial exchange account. At the time, crypto-related fraud was still unfamiliar territory for many victims—and for most investigators outside of government agencies. But this case quickly proved how urgently specialized crypto tracing was needed.
The client initially believed they were communicating with the exchange’s support department. In reality, the emails and live-chat interface were part of a sophisticated phishing operation designed to mimic the platform’s official support page. Once the scammers obtained limited account access, they initiated a BTC withdrawal and moved the funds through several intermediary wallets.
Our investigation delivered the first full crypto-tracing report in our firm’s history. Key findings included:
• A complete mapped transaction path from the exchange to three intermediary Bitcoin addresses
• Identification of a wallet cluster associated with known scam operations and previous victim reports
• Documentation packaged for a banking dispute, which helped the client pursue reimbursement
• A formal investigative report later used by law enforcement to link activity across multiple cases
Although modest in dollar value compared to later cases, this investigation became the foundation of our modern cryptocurrency workflow. It proved that digital asset tracing could be done in a structured, evidence-backed manner—something that now defines our approach.
If you’ve experienced an unauthorized crypto withdrawal or suspicious transaction, you can learn more about how we handle cases like this through our financial investigations practice.
For immediate assistance or a confidential review of your evidence, you may contact us at any time.