Aug 9, 2026
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Add us on GoogleIf you received a letter from the IRS, you’d take it seriously. Unfortunately, fraudsters know that, and they’re using it to their advantage in a snail mail scam targeting crypto holders.
According to a press release from the IRS’s Criminal Investigation division, an international fraud network has been sending out letters that look like they’re coming from the federal agency. The hallmark feature of these messages is that they urge recipients to create an account on a “Digital Asset Compliance Portal.” There’s also a QR code that leads to an unofficial IRS- lookalike website that claims to help people register.
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On the fake website, it asks users for sensitive personal and financial information, including info on crypto exchange accounts and wallets. If a victim submits these details, they go straight to the scammers.
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Then scammers place a final phone call where they pose as a representative and ask for a password, 2FA code, or private key to get into someone’s crypto account.
The IRS wants everyone to know that there’s no such thing as a Digital Asset Compliance Portal. If you receive any communication referencing this portal, report it immediately.
“Criminals continue to exploit public trust in government agencies by creating convincing fake websites and official-looking correspondence,” Jarod Koopman, the IRS’ Criminal Investigation Chief, said in a statement.
The crypto exchange Coinbase worked with the cyber defense firm DarkTower to figure out where this scam’s fraudulent website — “irs.digitalcomplianceportal[.]com” — originated. Their research revealed the domain is on a Hong Kong registrar. Investigators also found that the fake IRS website is hosted in the same Romanian location tied to other impersonation schemes involving banks and FedEx.
Moneywise reached out to Coinbase for further comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.
Americans lose billions in Bitcoin to scammers
Of all the cybercrimes reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), those involving cryptocurrency cost victims the most.
Data in the FBI’s IC3’s 2025 Internet Crime Report found that the total losses for online fraud schemes that had “cryptocurrency” in the description surpassed $11 billion in 2025, making it the largest single complaint category. Roughly 181,500 complaints filed with the IC3 in 2025 involved cryptocurrency.
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However, unlike the recent IRS imposter scam, — which involved stealing crypto wallet funds outright — the FBI report found that “investment scams” tend to be the most widely reported issue. In this type of scheme, fraudsters first try to build trust and get people to join a phony investing group on a messaging app. Eventually, the scammers convince victims to buy and send cryptocurrency.
Overall, the FBI reports a rise in total cybercrimes, with the complaints per year increasing from 791,790 in 2020 to over 1 million in 2025. In terms of total annual losses, the IC3 reported a steep climb from $4.2 billion in 2020 to $20.8 billion in 2025.
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Don’t trust, verify the correspondence
Everyone has to be extra skeptical about unsolicited messages from government agencies nowadays. The IRS warned that today’s fraudsters “increasingly use convincing websites, official-looking letters, and urgent deadlines to trick victims.”
“Before responding to unexpected requests for personal information, stop, verify the source, and report potential fraud schemes to law enforcement,” Koopman said.
Even though scams are becoming more sophisticated, there are often clues that help targeted victims notice something just isn’t right.
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For instance, one of the most glaring tells in this recent IRS letter scam is that the website it leads people to isn’t the same as the official “IRS.gov” domain. Another is that the IRS would never ask for such personal info like an exchange account or wallet addresses.
For crypto investors, it’s especially important to guard your wallet’s private keys and seed phrase with your life. If someone has this info, they have the power to drain your crypto wallet. There’s no legitimate reason a company or representative would ever ask for them.
If you think you’ve already fallen for a crypto fraud scheme? First, the IRS recommends stopping communication with the fraudster and changing all of the passwords on potentially compromised accounts. You should then reach out to tiplines to report this crime with relevant government agencies like IC3 and the IRS, as well as your crypto exchange.
Finally, if you share any personal information like your Social Security number, it’s a good idea to freeze your credit with the three major credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.
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Eric Esposito is a freelance contributor on MoneyWise who loves making financial topics accessible and understandable to readers. In addition to MoneyWise, Eric’s work can be found in publications such as WallStreetZen and CoinDesk.
