Straight answers, honestly given.
Every question we're asked most often, grouped by topic — answered with the same candor we bring to client work.
How do I start an investigation with Aegis?+
Submit a case summary through our contact form or email, including at minimum one wallet address or transaction hash and a short timeline of events. We respond within one business day with an honest assessment of whether tracing can help.
Is the initial consultation free?+
Yes. The initial case review is free and used to determine fit before any paid engagement begins. If we don't believe we can help, we will tell you and, where possible, point you to a more suitable resource.
What information do you need to start an investigation?+
At minimum, one wallet address or transaction hash tied to the loss, a short written timeline, and any communications with the counterparty. More context accelerates the assessment but is not required to begin.
Do I need a lawyer before contacting you?+
No, though many clients engage us through counsel to help preserve privilege. If you don't yet have an attorney, we can proceed directly and refer you to counsel if litigation becomes appropriate.
Can businesses and DAOs engage Aegis, not just individuals?+
Yes. We regularly support businesses, exchanges, and DAOs on treasury loss, smart-contract exploit, and insider-theft matters, in addition to individual fraud victims.
What types of fraud do you investigate?+
We take on the full range of cryptocurrency-related fraud, including investment scams, romance / pig-butchering schemes, job & task tax fraud, online purchase and marketplace fraud, wallet drainer and seed-phrase phishing attacks, SIM-swap thefts, business email compromise, and ransomware payments. If your matter isn't listed, contact us and we'll say honestly whether on-chain evidence can help.
Can you guarantee that my funds will be recovered?+
No — and any firm that says otherwise is not being truthful. On-chain forensics identifies where funds moved and who may control them. Recovery itself depends on legal process, exchange cooperation, and jurisdictional factors outside any investigator's control.
Will you contact scam operators on my behalf?+
No. Direct contact with alleged bad actors is a matter for law enforcement or your attorney, not for private investigators. Attempts to negotiate directly frequently destroy evidence and undermine legal remedies.
Can you freeze or seize the funds yourselves?+
No. Aegis has no authority to freeze assets. We produce evidence that your counsel, the receiving exchange's compliance team, or law enforcement can use to request a freeze or seizure through proper channels.
Do you give legal advice?+
No. Aegis provides investigative services only. Legal strategy, filings, and advice must come from a licensed attorney; we work alongside your counsel rather than in place of one.
What evidence should I preserve immediately?+
Wallet addresses, transaction hashes, exchange account statements, screenshots of the platform or chat used in the scam, and any communications with the counterparty. Preserve originals rather than summaries — dates and metadata matter.
Can you still help if funds went through a mixer or cross-chain bridge?+
Often, yes. Mixers and bridges introduce uncertainty but do not automatically end an investigation. We disclose confidence tiers on every attribution so counsel can weigh the evidence appropriately.
I already deleted messages with the scammer — is my case dead?+
Not necessarily. On-chain data is permanent regardless of deleted messages, and exchanges may retain their own records. It reduces available context, so recovering any backups or exchange-side logs is worthwhile.
Should I keep interacting with the scammer while you investigate?+
Only on your attorney's or law enforcement's guidance. Continued contact can occasionally preserve useful evidence but also risks further loss or safety issues; we do not recommend it without professional oversight.
What does a forensic report actually contain?+
A full report includes an executive summary, transaction graph, counterparty attribution with confidence levels, a tooling and methodology manifest, and supporting exhibits such as transaction hashes and exports for independent verification.
Can your reports be used in court?+
Yes, our full forensic reports are built to evidentiary standards and we provide expert witness services including declarations, affidavits, and testimony where the engagement scope covers it.
Do you provide expert witness testimony?+
Yes, where our engagement scope includes it and the matter proceeds to hearing or trial. Testimony is provided by the analyst who conducted the primary work, subject to court qualification.
How confident are your attributions?+
Every attribution is labelled confirmed, probable, or possible, with the underlying reasoning and limitations stated explicitly. We do not present speculative links as certainties.
Which blockchains and assets do you cover?+
Bitcoin, Ethereum and major EVM L2s (Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Polygon, Avalanche), Tron/USDT-TRC20, Solana, BNB Chain, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, XRP, and cross-chain bridge and mixer analysis across these networks.
How are engagements priced?+
A fixed fee for the initial assessment, and a written scope for any further work. We do not accept contingency-fee or 'no recovery, no fee' arrangements, which create incentives incompatible with objective forensic work.
How long does an investigation take?+
A preliminary assessment is typically delivered within one to three business days. Full investigations vary with complexity — most complete within two to eight weeks, longer for multi-jurisdictional matters.
What if the investigation finds nothing actionable?+
You still receive a written memo documenting what was checked and why further tracing is unlikely to help. You are not billed for open-ended work beyond the agreed fixed scope.
Do you offer payment plans?+
For larger scoped engagements, staged payment tied to deliverable milestones can sometimes be arranged. This is discussed and documented in the engagement letter before work begins.
Do you keep client information confidential?+
Yes. Engagements are covered by written confidentiality terms. Where you retain counsel, we can be engaged through your attorney to help preserve applicable privilege.
How do you store and secure case evidence?+
Evidence is stored with access controls and a documented chain of custody, retained only as long as needed for the engagement and any related legal proceedings, then securely disposed of per our data-handling policy.
Will my case details be shared with anyone without my consent?+
No. Findings are shared only with the parties you authorize — typically your counsel, and where relevant, an exchange, insurer, or law-enforcement agency you've chosen to involve.
Do you work with law enforcement?+
Yes, where victims choose to file. We prepare evidence packages agencies such as the FBI's IC3, the U.S. Secret Service, or a state Attorney General's office can act on, and liaise with assigned officers on request. We are an independent private firm and are not deputized by any government.
Can you help get an exchange to freeze an account?+
We cannot compel a freeze, but we format evidence for direct submission to an exchange's compliance or fraud team, which is often the fastest route to a voluntary hold while law enforcement acts.
Do you work with insurance claims for crypto losses?+
Yes. We provide loss-quantification narratives and chain-of-custody documentation formatted for insurer claims review, working alongside your claims adjuster or counsel.
Will you testify or provide statements to a government investigator?+
Yes, where appropriate and within the scope of our engagement, our analysts can provide statements or testimony to support a law-enforcement or regulatory investigation.
How do I know Aegis isn't itself a recovery scam?+
We never ask you to send cryptocurrency, gas fees, or 'unlock' payments up front, we never guarantee recovery, and we never charge a contingency fee. All fees are fixed and documented in a written engagement letter before work begins.
Someone contacted me claiming they can recover my funds for a fee — is that legitimate?+
Be cautious. Unsolicited outreach claiming your funds have already been located, requests for upfront crypto payments, or guaranteed-recovery promises are hallmarks of a secondary scam. Verify any firm independently before paying anything.
What should I do if I think I'm being targeted by a recovery scam?+
Stop all payments immediately, do not share further wallet access or seed phrases, and report the contact to the FBI's IC3 (ic3.gov). You're welcome to forward the outreach to us for a free opinion on its legitimacy.
Start with a confidential case review.
Share the essentials — wallet, transaction, timeline. We respond within one business day with a candid view of what on-chain evidence can and cannot do for your situation.