Where to get help
- Author
- CRYPTO PORT Editorial
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 5 min
In short
Where you go depends on what happened. Account and trading problems go to the official support of the service you use. Fraud and unauthorised access go to a police cybercrime consultation desk. Disputes about contracts and transactions generally can be taken to a consumer affairs centre. In every case you make the approach — treat anyone who approaches you as suspect.
Key points
- Reach an operator's support only through the official app or your own bookmark
- For fraud and unauthorised access, each prefectural police force publishes a cybercrime consultation desk on its site
- Consumer affairs centres take enquiries about contract and transaction problems generally
- Gather your records first: transaction IDs, dates and times, amounts, and saved correspondence
Definition
Choosing the right place to take a crypto-related problem based on its nature, and making contact through a legitimate route.
Before you contact anyone, gather your records: when it happened, on which service, and what occurred. Transaction IDs, timestamps, amounts, the other party's address or account name, the messages exchanged, screenshots of the screens. How complete these are largely determines how useful any consultation will be. Do not reinstall apps or clear histories until they are saved.
Then choose the destination by the type of problem. Anything between you and an operator — a deposit not credited, a frozen account, fees that do not reconcile — goes to that operator's official support. Contact them only from inside the official app or through the enquiry form on the official site opened from your own bookmark. Pages and phone numbers presenting themselves as 'support' in search results include fakes. 'How to contact exchange support' covers the approach.
For matters with a criminal dimension — you were defrauded, or your account or wallet was taken over — go to the police. In Japan, each prefectural force operates a cybercrime consultation desk, with contact details published on its own website. Bring or be ready to present the records you assembled, and report to the service involved in parallel.
For disputes about contracts and transactions more generally, a consumer affairs centre is another route. These exist across the country and can advise on how a contract is treated and on dealing with the operator. They are not crypto specialists, but they work well as a first port of call when you cannot tell where a problem belongs. If the sums are large enough that legal action is in view, the next step is a lawyer.
Finally, be clear about who you must not consult. Anyone who contacts you on social media, in comments or by DM saying they are support, that they can restore your access, or that they can trace your funds, is running a scam. Legitimate support never reaches out to you first in a DM. Nor does it ever ask for a seed phrase or private key, ask you to share your screen or install remote-control software, or require an additional payment to resolve your case. Remember those three and you avoid most secondary losses.
Watch out for
- · Do not post the details of your loss on social media or in comments — scam accounts offering 'recovery' arrive within minutes
- · Do not find a support phone number or chat via search; fake help desks are placed as adverts
- · Never give anyone your seed phrase, private key or 2FA code in the course of getting help. No legitimate channel asks for them
Frequently asked questions
Where can I take a dispute with an overseas exchange?
Japanese frameworks often do not reach them, which makes resolution harder. Contact that operator's official support with your records first, and if fraud is suspected, take it to a police cybercrime consultation desk. 'Domestic versus overseas exchanges' explains where they sit in Japanese regulation.