New York Cryptocurrency Lawyer for Crypto Fraud and Exchange Disputes

Coin Counsel is a cryptocurrency law practice based in Brooklyn, New York. The firm evaluates selected matters involving crypto fraud, unauthorized account access, SIM swaps, exchange disputes, stolen digital assets, and legitimate funds that remain inaccessible.

A New York cryptocurrency lawyer can help organize technical evidence, evaluate contracts and possible claims, identify the correct dispute procedure, and explain realistic legal options. Every matter is fact-specific. No attorney can guarantee recovery of cryptocurrency or a particular legal outcome.

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Cryptocurrency Legal Matters Coin Counsel Evaluates

Coin Counsel evaluates selected matters involving:

  • Cryptocurrency taken after an account takeover, phishing event, SIM swap, or compromised email account
  • Unauthorized transfers from a cryptocurrency exchange account
  • Fake exchange-support, government, investment, romance, or business impersonation schemes
  • Pig-butchering and fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platforms
  • Frozen, restricted, disabled, or under-review exchange accounts
  • Legitimate cryptocurrency or cash balances that remain inaccessible
  • Disputes governed by a platform's arbitration or notice provisions
  • Evidence preservation, transaction records, and blockchain tracing issues
  • Cryptocurrency recovery scams and law-firm impersonation attempts

The existence of a loss does not automatically establish that an exchange, carrier, bank, or other party is legally responsible. Liability depends on the facts, governing agreements, applicable law, causation, evidence, and available defenses.

A Brooklyn Cryptocurrency Law Practice

Coin Counsel is a division of Franco Law PLLC. Its principal office is located at 3839 Flatlands Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11234. The firm can be reached through the official contact page or at (646) 450-1214.

Joseph A. Franco, Esq. is the managing partner of Franco Law PLLC. Saul Robert Ancona, Esq. is licensed to practice law in New York and focuses on cryptocurrency matters. Additional attorney and professional information is available on the firm's About page.

This page does not imply that New York law governs every cryptocurrency dispute. The relevant law and forum may depend on the customer agreement, parties, transaction, residence, location of conduct, and other jurisdictional facts.

When to Contact a New York Cryptocurrency Attorney

Prompt legal review may be appropriate when:

  • A substantial loss has occurred or assets remain at risk
  • An exchange or financial institution has issued a final response
  • Repeated support and verification efforts have not resolved a restriction
  • A platform invokes arbitration, a liability limitation, or a notice requirement
  • A wrongdoer or receiving account may be identifiable
  • Records, account logs, communications, or transaction evidence may disappear
  • A legal deadline or contractual time limit may apply
  • Someone claiming to offer recovery is demanding additional payment

Immediate priorities are usually account security and evidence preservation. Change compromised credentials from a trusted device, secure email and mobile accounts, contact the relevant platform through its official channel, and preserve original records.

Cryptocurrency Exchange Account Takeovers

An account takeover may involve compromised email credentials, phishing, malware, identity theft, a SIM swap, social engineering, or an intruder who defeats or changes authentication controls.

A legal evaluation may examine:

  • How access was obtained
  • Which authentication methods were enabled
  • Login, device, IP, and password-change alerts
  • Whether transaction activity differed from the customer's history
  • When and how the exchange received notice
  • What actions occurred before and after notice
  • The customer agreement and security representations
  • Transaction records, damages, causation, and potential defenses

For exchange-specific guidance, see our pages on crypto exchange disputes and cryptocurrency stolen from a Coinbase account.

Coinbase is a registered trademark of Coinbase, Inc. Coin Counsel and Franco Law PLLC are independent and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Coinbase or any other cryptocurrency exchange.

SIM Swaps and Mobile-Account Takeovers

In a SIM swap, a criminal may persuade or cause a mobile carrier to transfer a telephone number to a device controlled by the criminal. The attacker can then intercept messages, reset passwords, and target financial or cryptocurrency accounts.

Preserve mobile-carrier notices, account-change records, call logs, messages, identity-verification communications, exchange alerts, and transaction history. Do not replace or reset a device before considering whether useful evidence should first be preserved.

Potential claims and procedures depend on the evidence, agreements, parties, jurisdiction, and applicable law. A SIM swap does not automatically establish liability by a carrier, exchange, or other entity.

Cryptocurrency Investment and Impersonation Scams

Fraudsters may build trust over time, display fabricated profits, impersonate customer support, or tell a victim that funds must be moved to a “safe” wallet. Some victims initiate the transaction themselves because they are deceived, pressured, or misled.

These matters differ from a direct account intrusion. A legal review may consider the representations made to the victim, transaction warnings, authentication, the role of financial intermediaries, the identity and location of recipients, applicable contracts, and whether a legally responsible and reachable party can be identified.

Never send additional cryptocurrency to pay a supposed tax, release fee, insurance premium, liquidity check, or recovery charge. Review our crypto recovery scam warning before engaging an unfamiliar recovery service.

Frozen or Restricted Cryptocurrency Accounts

An exchange restriction may result from security, identity-verification, compliance, eligibility, source-of-funds, sanctions, technical, risk, or legal review. A restriction by itself does not establish wrongdoing by the exchange or the account holder.

Preserve every verification request, support response, case number, balance record, withdrawal notice, and date. When substantial legitimate funds remain inaccessible or a support process becomes a legal dispute, counsel can evaluate the agreement, required notice procedures, possible arbitration, and other available options.

See our guidance regarding frozen crypto exchange accounts and restricted Coinbase accounts.

Cryptocurrency Arbitration and New York Clients

Many cryptocurrency platforms include arbitration provisions in their customer agreements. Arbitration is a formal legal process that may involve written claims, responses, document exchange, motions, testimony, and a binding award.

The designated forum, location, governing law, fees, notice requirements, and remedies vary by agreement. A New York resident or New York-based attorney does not mean that the arbitration will necessarily occur in New York or be governed by New York law.

Learn more from our cryptocurrency arbitration lawyer guide.

Evidence to Preserve

Useful records may include:

  • Account statements and transaction-history exports
  • Transaction hashes, wallet addresses, asset types, dates, and amounts
  • Exchange support tickets, complaint numbers, emails, and chats
  • Login alerts, device notices, authentication changes, and password-reset messages
  • Mobile-carrier records relating to a suspected SIM swap
  • Bank, wire, debit-card, or payment-processor records
  • Screenshots and URLs for fraudulent websites, profiles, or applications
  • Police, FBI IC3, FTC, SEC, CFTC, or state-agency reports
  • The applicable customer agreement and dispute terms
  • A chronological timeline identifying the people, platforms, transactions, and actions taken

Keep original files when possible. Do not send a lawyer, investigator, recovery service, or purported government agent your seed phrase, private key, password, or one-time authentication code.

How Coin Counsel Reviews a Cryptocurrency Matter

Initial facts and chronology

The firm reviews what happened, which accounts and platforms were involved, when transactions occurred, when notice was provided, and what actions have already been taken.

Evidence and missing records

Counsel identifies the records that support or contradict potential claims and determines what additional evidence may be available through preservation requests, contractual processes, subpoenas, discovery, or other lawful procedures.

Potentially responsible parties

A legal review distinguishes the criminal actor from exchanges, carriers, banks, businesses, promoters, and other entities. Each potential party must be evaluated separately. A financial loss alone does not prove liability.

Forum, deadlines, and practical value

Counsel considers jurisdiction, contractual notice, arbitration clauses, statutes of limitation, available remedies, damages, cost, timing, collectability, and the practical likelihood that legal action will provide value.

Possible Legal Procedures

Depending on the facts, possible procedures can include a preservation demand, formal notice, demand letter, arbitration, litigation, subpoena, emergency application, bankruptcy claim, or coordination with law enforcement.

Not every procedure is available in every matter. Emergency relief such as a temporary restraining order or attachment requires specific legal and evidentiary grounds. Blockchain tracing may assist an investigation, but it is not the same as a guaranteed recovery.

Verify Coin Counsel Before Sharing Information

Crypto victims are frequently targeted by fake law firms and recovery agents. Verify Coin Counsel through this website and its published telephone number. Be cautious if anyone:

  • Guarantees a result
  • Requests a seed phrase, private key, password, or authentication code
  • Demands cryptocurrency for taxes, release fees, or wallet activation
  • Uses an email domain or telephone number that does not match the official website
  • Claims to have recovered funds before reviewing the matter
  • Pressures you to pay immediately or keep communications secret

Coin Counsel's principal office is 3839 Flatlands Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11234, and its published telephone number is (646) 450-1214.

Request a Confidential Case Evaluation

If cryptocurrency was stolen, an exchange account is restricted, or legitimate digital assets remain inaccessible, Coin Counsel can review the information to determine whether the firm may offer a consultation or representation.

Contact Coin Counsel

Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship begins only through a written engagement agreement signed by the firm and the client.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a New York cryptocurrency lawyer do?

A cryptocurrency lawyer evaluates legal issues involving digital assets, fraud, account security, contracts, exchange disputes, arbitration, evidence, and potential claims. The appropriate work depends on the facts.

Is Coin Counsel located in New York City?

Yes. Coin Counsel is a division of Franco Law PLLC, with its principal office at 3839 Flatlands Avenue in Brooklyn, New York.

Can a cryptocurrency attorney recover stolen crypto?

An attorney can evaluate and pursue legally available options, but recovery is never guaranteed. Results depend on evidence, responsible parties, jurisdiction, legal rights, available assets, timing, and defenses.

Does New York law govern my exchange dispute?

Not necessarily. The governing agreement, parties, transaction, residence, forum provisions, and other facts must be reviewed.

Does Coin Counsel handle cryptocurrency arbitration?

Coin Counsel evaluates selected cryptocurrency disputes that may involve arbitration. Whether representation is offered depends on the facts, governing agreement, conflicts review, and case evaluation.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Viewing this page or contacting Coin Counsel does not create an attorney-client relationship. Coin Counsel is a division of Franco Law PLLC. Principal office: 3839 Flatlands Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11234.