Cryptocurrency law status and ETH theft

[Miomid]

Hi guys!

This is the situation. I have been frauded by one man - I belived to wrong guy and send eth to him. I know his real name and wehere he lives (Nevada) and I have proves of his scam acting. I know it's must be a problem to get my ETH back, but maybe I can somehow prosecute him legally?

The amount of stolen eth is not critical for me, but i want to punish scammer.

For me it's hard to understand current law status of cryptocurrency cause my speciality is far from law. What if I go to the police - can they do smth about this?

I found at least one case about one court with cryptocurrency - and that time the judge said that "Bitcoins are funds within the plain meaning of that term" but what about ethereum and other crypto?


Thanks for your time and knowledge!

[warningsigns]

If you have all the facts and evidence backing up your accusation, if you know his true identity and his address, then you should first go to the police and file a case of fraud. Alternatively if cost is not an issue, you should approach a private attorney and instruct him to file the case with the relevant authorities.

The police might qualify the crime as fraud or theft or both. You will need proof of the wallet and coins being yours and you will probably need to explain the chain of events leading up to the scam. Examples of that will be evidences of communication you had with that person, the transaction or payment trail on the public ledger etc. And because he could negate your claims, you should be prepared to show that the destination address actually belongs to him. Not all police officers and fraud detectives are familiar with crypto-related crimes, let alone the underlying technology behind it, so be prepared to carefully explain how you were scammed.

However the judge sees bitcoins or ETH or other coins, theft is theft and fraud is fraud. The focus will be on whether you were unlawfully deprived of property or monies.