Crypto theft rarely leaves one clean path to recovery. Between January and early December 2025, Chainalysis put stolen cryptocurrency at more than $3.4 billion. For victims, that means a tangle of exchange procedures, criminal reports, and, in Florida, a civil statute that requires paperwork.

No. Skip the written demand, and you cannot bring a Florida statutory civil theft claim. Florida Statute § 772.11 requires that you send a letter before you file, and it must seek $200 or three times the alleged actual damages. Every other recovery route plays by its own rules.

Florida law makes this sequence mandatory. Letter first. Then a 30-day wait. Then suit. Without the letter, the statutory claim falls apart before a judge ever reaches the merits. KRP2, a firm focused on hacked-exchange recovery, walks through that Section 772.11 sequence in a Florida-specific guide covering how to recover stolen cryptocurrency.

An original editorial illustration showing a transaction interface and a stylized Florida map; it is not an actual account screenshot. Transaction record: Outgoing cryptocurrency transfer. FLORIDA

Does Florida Require a Demand Letter Before a Stolen-Crypto Lawsuit?

For a Section 772.11 action, yes. Damages under that section cannot be pursued until the injured person has sent the written demand. The requirement is narrow, though. It covers the statutory civil theft claim and nothing beyond it.

This is no courtesy note to a platform. It is a formal request to the person you hold liable, and it carries its own legal consequences.

Keep criminal reporting and civil compliance in separate drawers. A police report does not satisfy Section 772.11, and the statute does not treat a police report as a prerequisite to its remedy.

What happened, and who bears legal responsibility, may open the door to other claims. Each carries its own notice requirements, so a demand that fits the civil theft statute may do nothing for a conversion or negligence claim.

And a hacked account, by itself, is not a civil theft case. You still need evidence tying the proposed defendant to conduct the statute covers, including the required intent. An unexplained loss names no one.

Who Receives the Demand, and How Much Must It Request?

Under Section 772.11, the demand goes to the person you hold liable and requests the amount the statute fixes.

Identifying the Intended Recipient

Do not assume your exchange is the recipient. An account relationship shows only that you held an account. It proves no responsibility for the theft, so a claim needs a legally supported theory connecting the named defendant to the taking.

A misdirected demand letter carries a real cost: it can spark a dispute over pre-suit compliance and stall the claim at the outset. Have Florida counsel review the intended recipient and the delivery arrangements before sending anything. A generic template is a gamble.

An exchange complaint still has value. It can request account records or an internal review under platform procedures. Section 772.11 requires a written demand for $200 or treble the claimed damages from the person liable. An ordinary support ticket will not do that work.

Calculating the Statutory Demand

Treble damages means three times the claimed actual loss. The statute treats the $200 figure as a floor for small losses, and the treble amount as the measure for larger ones; the two are alternatives, never stacked awards.

Base your case on concrete evidence rather than the total losses shown on your bank statement. Key factors—such as the exact amount taken, its legally recoverable value, and whether the defendant directly caused the loss—often remain heavily contested.

When the Recipient Pays, and When They Do Not

If the recipient complies within 30 days of receiving the demand, the statute obliges you to provide a written release from further civil liability for the specific act covered. Silence buys you nothing. It neither establishes theft nor produces an automatic judgment.

Scope the release narrowly. It covers the act addressed in the demand, not every unrelated dispute between the parties. And keep proof of receipt with your records; the statutory clock runs from receipt, not from the day you drafted the letter.

And if They Ignore It?

Nonpayment opens the door to evaluating a civil theft claim, and that is all it does. Failing to respond is not an admission of liability.

A demand is not a court order. You still have to prove the covered violation, the resulting injury, and the damages claimed, element by element. Litigation requires service, evidence, and a judgment or settlement. The expired response period cannot convert an unsupported allegation into a valid claim.

How to Recover Stolen Cryptocurrency Through Florida’s Civil Process

Recovery runs on parallel tracks because each route does a distinct job. Your exchange can review account activity, police can take a report, and counsel can size up a possible civil defendant, all at once.

• Recovery Route | Main Purpose | Does It Replace the Section 772.11 Demand?
• Exchange complaint | Alert the platform and request an investigation and preservation of account records | No
• Police or IC3 report | Report suspected criminal conduct and provide transaction evidence | No
• Section 772.11 demand | Satisfy the Florida civil theft claim’s pre-suit requirement | Not applicable
• Civil lawsuit | Seek a judgment and available civil remedies against a legally responsible party | The demand must precede a Section 772.11 claim

Reporting the Theft to Police and the FBI

Contact the local agency with jurisdiction, and report suspected internet-related crime through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reporting portal when the incident fits that channel. An IC3 submission is its own thing; it is not necessarily a local police report.

In either report, provide the supporting records. A blockchain transaction hash identifies a transfer on its chain and anchors the rest of your file.

• Transaction hashes, receiving addresses, and timestamps

• Exchange access records, security alerts, and support correspondence

• Messages with the suspected offender and a timeline of events

• Documents supporting the quantity and value of the missing assets
  
  

A Lawsuit Is Not a Police Report

No. A civil suit seeks money; it does not function as a criminal report. A police report feeds an investigation; it awards nothing. Use both if the facts support both, but understand that neither guarantees a dime back.

What a Claimant Has to Prove

Section 772.11 sets a high bar: clear and convincing evidence supporting the allegations.

That means injury caused by a violation the statute covers, with the required criminal intent attached. Evidence of missing cryptocurrency must point to the particular defendant. A screenshot of your balance documents your loss; it does not document their liability.

Win, and the statute adds reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs to the recovery.

Can Stolen Cryptocurrency Be Traced?

Often, yes. Transactions on many public blockchains can be followed address to address. Tracing a transfer, though, does not identify the person controlling the destination wallet, and it does not put the assets within a court's reach.

Attribution is a separate task, and it may require records beyond the public chain. Freezing assets takes legal authority or cooperation. Collecting a judgment presents a separate challenge.

The Risk of an Unsupported Claim

This statute applies in only one direction. Section 772.11 does not allow punitive damages, and if the court finds the claimant raised a claim without substantial factual or legal support, the defendant recovers reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs at trial and on appeal.

Losing is not enough to trigger that finding. But keep every allegation tied to documented conduct, not inflated valuations or guesses about who held the wallet.

Frequently Asked Questions About Crypto Recovery in Florida

Is It Possible to Get Stolen Crypto Back?

Sometimes, but recovery is never guaranteed. Section 772.11 offers a potential civil remedy, not assured repayment. Results depend on identifying a legally responsible party and locating reachable assets. Prompt reporting and successful tracing help; insurance coverage follows the policy and the circumstances.

What Should Someone Do After Losing $16,000 in Cryptocurrency?

Preserve your records, notify the exchange, report the suspected crime, and get advice on viable civil claims. If Section 772.11 applies and $16,000 is the legally supportable actual loss, the treble figure is $48,000. Arithmetic is not entitlement; valuation and responsibility may both remain disputed.

Can Police Do Anything About Stolen Cryptocurrency?

They can document the complaint and investigate available evidence, coordinating with other agencies as needed. The FBI’s IC3 portal provides a federal reporting channel for internet crime. Neither report promises an arrest or repayment, and law enforcement does not litigate your private civil claim for you.

Who Can Help With Stolen-Crypto Recovery?

Exchange fraud teams review platform activity; qualified blockchain investigators analyze transfers; IC3 takes internet-crime reports; a licensed Florida attorney assesses civil claims. Be wary of anyone promising guaranteed recovery or demanding cryptocurrency to “unlock” returned funds. That promise proves nothing about access to anything.

How Much Does Crypto Recovery Cost?

There is no fixed price. Investigation and blockchain analysis carry their own charges, and legal fees follow the fee arrangement and the work required, including filings and expert testimony. Winning under Section 772.11 shifts fees to the other side, but it doesn't make litigation free or reimbursement certain.

Choose the Recovery Route That Matches the Claim

Build the file first. Records that accurately report the loss will do double duty in a civil assessment, and the civil assessment deserves Florida-specific eyes before you send any statutory demand. The demand requirement has a defined but narrow reach: it governs a Section 772.11 civil theft action, one route among several. Your next move should reflect the evidence against the proposed defendant and the assets that may be available to satisfy a claim.