How to report a crypto scam in Ireland
Act fast. Contact your bank or card provider immediately to try to stop or recall the payment, then report the fraud in person at your local Garda station — Ireland has no national online reporting portal.
Report online — the fastest step
Ireland has no central online fraud-reporting website. Report at your local Garda station (find yours in the station directory); serious or complex fraud is escalated to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB). Call 999 or 112 in an emergency.
Emergency: 999 or 112. CCPC consumer helpline: 01 402 5555.
Who to report to in Ireland
- •An Garda Síochána — report at your local station; serious fraud is escalated to the GNECB.
- •Central Bank of Ireland — check the unauthorised-firms list; report an unauthorised firm.
- •CCPC — consumer advice on what to do if you've been scammed; helpline 01 402 5555.
Check before you pay
If a "firm" contacted you, check the Central Bank of Ireland's unauthorised-firms warning list before doing anything else — most crypto and investment scams involve firms not authorised in Ireland.
Central Bank — search unauthorised firms →Where to get help & support
- •CCPC consumer helpline — 01 402 5555; advice on your next steps (it advises, it doesn't investigate).
- •Irish banks' FraudSMART programme (fraudsmart.ie) — consumer fraud awareness.
Do this right now
- •Stop all contact and send no more money — including "fees" or "taxes" to withdraw.
- •Contact your bank or card provider immediately to attempt a stop, recall or chargeback.
- •Preserve evidence: screenshots, wallet addresses, transaction hashes, the scam website or app.
- •Report the scam wallet address on Chainabuse.
Ireland-specific things to know
- •Ireland has no central online fraud-reporting site (no equivalent of the UK's Action Fraud) — report at your local Garda station.
- •Contact your bank/card provider immediately — the CCPC's official first advice is to act as soon as possible.
- •Verify before you invest: check the Central Bank's unauthorised-firms list; most scams involve firms not authorised in Ireland.
- •Report the crime to the Gardaí, then call the CCPC helpline (01 402 5555) for your consumer-rights next steps.
⚠️ Beware "recovery" services. Anyone who contacts you promising to get your money back for an upfront fee is almost always a second scam. See the red flags →
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