Cryptocurrency has taken the world by surprise with its meteoric rise in value and use. From a mere novelty investment vehicle to an international currency, cryptocurrencies are here to stay.
In response, many digital wallets have been created. However, not all of them are secure enough or user-friendly enough to use frequently. As such, more than 2 billion dollars worth of digital coins has been stolen between January 2018 and March 2019 alone through hacking and phishing scams.
Cryptocurrency is still new and there are bound to be bugs in the system that hackers can exploit. However, if you lose your crypto due to carelessness or negligence, how do you recover it in 2022?
Find the hackers
Let’s start with finding the hackers. When this happens, you will be able to do a couple of things to get your cryptocurrency back. First, you can try to reach out to the hackers and negotiate with them. You can offer them a portion of your cryptocurrency as a bribe to return it to you.
On rare occasions, hackers will return the cryptocurrency voluntarily. If this is the case, make sure you do not let them get away with the amount they stole from you. Call the authorities and file a complaint against them. Keep a record of all the details you can remember, such as their names, phone numbers, where the transaction took place, and the amount they stole. The authorities can use this information to find the hackers.
Don’t panic
Many people are concerned about the implications of panicking because they assume that once they start feeling anxious, they will lose their nerves and let the hackers get away with their cryptocurrency. However, if you allow yourself to feel the full extent of your shock and loss, you will be able to make more rational decisions.
For example, you can immediately change your online passwords for all of your cryptocurrency accounts. You could also think about temporarily closing down all of your social media accounts for privacy reasons. Additionally, you could consider temporarily withdrawing all of your cryptocurrencies from any online or physical exchange accounts.
Check your bank account regularly
It is important to closely monitor your bank account activity as part of the recovery process. You should regularly check your bank account online and see if any withdrawals have been made from your account. You could also try to reach out to your bank to find out what is going on. In some cases, cryptocurrency scammers will make fraudulent withdrawals from your bank account.
Next, you should closely monitor your cryptocurrency accounts. Keeping track of the size of the accounts and making sure no new transactions have been made is important. It could be possible that your cryptocurrency has been transferred to another person’s account.
Track down the scammers
After you recover some of your cryptocurrency, you will want to track down the scammers and file a complaint against them. There are a couple of things you can do.
First, you can try to find the address of the cryptocurrency exchange account where your stolen cryptocurrency was deposited. Next, you could try to reach out to the authorities like the police, and file a complaint against the scammers. Once the authorities have your complaint, it will help them track down the scammers. You could also try to follow the scammers online and see if you can make their lives a little uncomfortable.
Ask for a refund
If you recover some of your cryptocurrency, but not all of it, you might want to consider asking for a refund from the exchange. You can do this either by e-mail or in person. You could also try to do this by “mailing” your recovered cryptocurrencies to the exchange.
For example, you could send them a postmarked envelope with the address written on it. If you are unsure how to do this, consider following the exchange’s instructions for depositing and withdrawing cryptocurrency. You should also consider asking a friend or family member to help you.
Conclusion
Cryptocurrency is here to stay, but it is important to be careful. Cybercriminals are constantly looking for new ways to steal your digital funds. The more popular digital currencies become, the more likely they are to be targeted by criminals. And as we are still learning and exploring the intricacies of cryptocurrency, there are bound to be bugs in the system.
The best way to protect yourself against hackers is to simply take precautions. Use a strong password and change it regularly. Be careful with what information you give out online, including your cryptocurrency accounts and passwords. And if you find that you have been hacked, make sure you report the incident and change your passwords as quickly as possible.
