OSINT · Crypto Crime · Investigation

Follow the evidence. Expose the pattern. Protect the next victim.

OSINTrace investigates crypto and financial scams, maintains an evidence-based public scam database, and helps investors, victims, and institutions verify who they're really dealing with — before it costs them.

Scam Reports → Request Due Diligence

120+*

Cases documented

PhD-led*

Cryptocurrency crime research

SA-based

OSINT investigation practice

FREE TOOL · QUICK CHECK

Paste a crypto address, domain, email address, mobile number, social media URL or handle, or company name to check it against every published OSINTrace case.

Checks OSINTrace's own published case database in real time. External source cross-referencing (Chainabuse, CryptoScamDB, ScamAdviser) is simulated after "creating" a free account; no real account or external API call happens anywhere on this page.

The scam reports database

Evidence-based, not accusation-based

Every listing goes through automated triage, human moderation, a confidence tier, and a right-of-reply window before it's published. See how we verify reports →

RSI-Platform

Verified Pattern

Fake investment scheme · Fake exchange · Criminal case opened

A fraudulent CFD and cryptocurrency trading platform marketed as a UK-based global trading entity. An elderly South African victim was persuaded to invest her pension savings and lost close to ZAR 4.95m over two years.

Investment scam

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Elite-Bit

Corroborated

Pig butchering · Romance scam · Reported 2024

A victim matched with a suspect on a dating app was introduced to a crypto trading platform promising quick returns. After "successful" trades pushed her balance to 21,320 USDT, the platform demanded a sequence of fabricated fees to allow withdrawal.

Pig butchering scamRomance scam

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Undisclosed mining proceeds

Verified Pattern

Asset tracing · Civil matter · On-chain evidence

In a divorce settlement, one spouse failed to declare cryptocurrency holdings obtained via Bitcoin mining. A forensic OSINT investigation established whether — and how much — Bitcoin had been concealed from the marital estate.

Other

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View full database → Scam Platforms & Websites →

What we do

Services beyond the database

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Investigations

Client-requested OSINT investigations into a specific scam, fraud, or crypto crime case — evidence gathering, tracing, and a formal report.

Request an investigation →

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Due Diligence

Pre-investment vetting of a platform, project, or token — ownership, on-chain history, red flags, and a clear go/no-go summary.

Free lookup — has it been checked? →
Request a Due Diligence →

🎓

Training

Pre-recorded online courses, in-person and corporate workshops, and a paid-entry CTF challenge to test your skills on a leaderboard.

Browse courses →

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Reports & Guides

Low-cost PDF guides built from real casework — scam-pattern breakdowns, a self-serve due-diligence checklist, and an annual "State of Crypto Scams in South Africa" report.

Browse guides →

From the blog

Case Studies & Research

Investigation breakdowns, OSINT methodology, and academic research made accessible.

Cartoon illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over a network of connected open-source intelligence nodes representing social media, domain and contact data sources

Research

Leveraging Open-Source Intelligence to Combat Cryptocurrency Investment Scams

A follow-up study returning to the same fraudulent platform case, this time pushing an iterative off-chain OSINT enrichment cycle to see how far domain, contact and alias data can take an investigation once the blockchain trail goes cold.

Cartoon illustration of a magnifying glass examining a connected process flowchart, next to a validation shield checkmark and a methodology gear icon

Research

Evaluating an Investigative Process for Cryptocurrency-Related Crimes

Peer-reviewed evaluation of a proposed 5-phase crypto crime investigation methodology, applied to a real case where an elderly pensioner lost R4.95m to a fraudulent investment platform.

Cartoon illustration of a piggy bank with a Bitcoin coin dropping into its coin slot and a cracked heart above it, representing a romance scam that escalated into crypto investment fraud

Research

Analysis of a Cryptocurrency Investment Scam: Pig Butchering

Peer-reviewed case study tracing a romance scam that escalated into a "pig butchering" crypto investment fraud, from Tinder match to on-chain tracing and Maltego link analysis.

Cartoon illustration of a judge's gavel next to a cracked Bitcoin coin, with a downward bear-market chart line in the background

Research

Top Crypto Scams in 2022-2024: Trends, Tactics, and Regulatory Responses

Peer-reviewed analysis of the biggest crypto scams since the pandemic — Terra Luna, FTX, Celsius, Thodex and more — with a breakdown of tactics, losses, and how regulators responded.

Cartoon illustration of a puppeteer's hand controlling a Bitcoin coin marionette with strings, next to a mask and a scam warning speech bubble

Research

Vulnerabilities to Crypto Currency Scams and Online Persuasion Strategies

Peer-reviewed analysis of the psychology behind crypto scams — applying Cialdini's persuasion principles to giveaway scams, pump-and-dumps, and the MTI Ponzi scheme.

Research

An Analysis of a Cryptocurrency Giveaway Scam: Use Case

Co-authored academic case study tracing a Michael Saylor impersonation giveaway scam's ETH flows through Kucoin, FixedFloat, Binance and more using Breadcrumbs.

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Built on academic research, run as a practice

OSINTrace is led by a cybersecurity researcher completing a PhD proposing a process for investigating cryptocurrency crime using OSINT — applied here as a public database, an investigation practice, and a training program.

PhD Researcher — Cryptocurrency Crime / OSINT [example] Cybersecurity Research Project Management

Follow the evidence. Expose the pattern. Protect the next victim.