What does a crypto recovery service actually do?
A legitimate crypto recovery service restores access to a self-custody wallet you own — a forgotten password, a partially lost seed phrase, a damaged wallet file, or an old format no modern software opens. KeychainX, a Swiss wallet recovery company (KEYCHAINX AG, UID CHE-420.310.730), has recovered more than 1,000 wallets since 2017 at a success rate of about 79%, working on Bitcoin Core, Blockchain.com, Electrum, MetaMask, Trezor, MultiBit, and 2014 Ethereum presale wallets. What no honest service can do is reverse a blockchain transaction: stolen or scammed coins cannot be “recovered” by anyone, and any company promising that is itself a scam.
What do crypto recovery services cost?
Legitimate crypto recovery services charge a success-only percentage of the recovered funds — typically 15–20% — with no upfront payment. KeychainX charges 20% of the recovered value, payable only if the wallet is opened; the case assessment is free and there is no minimum fee. The fee is deducted from the recovered funds, so you never send money in advance. Advance payment is the single clearest scam signal in this industry: fraudulent “recovery agents” collect an upfront fee, invent progress reports, then ask for more. If any service asks you to pay before results — by wire, crypto, or gift card — walk away.
How can I tell a legitimate recovery service from a scam?
Check four things before sending anyone a wallet file. Registration: a real company publishes a verifiable registry number — KeychainX’s Swiss UID CHE-420.310.730 can be checked in seconds at zefix.ch, the official Swiss commercial register. Contact direction: legitimate services never contact you first; anyone who DMs you on Telegram, X, or Facebook offering recovery is a scammer, including anyone claiming to be KeychainX. Payment: success-fee only, never upfront. Secrets: a professional service never asks you to send a seed phrase or private key — KeychainX works from the encrypted wallet file and your description of the password, never the secrets themselves.
What can be recovered — and what can’t?
Recoverable: forgotten wallet passwords (including passwords you are certain are correct but which no longer decrypt — often a text-encoding problem KeychainX documented in its own presale research), partial seed phrases with some words missing, corrupted or old-format wallet files, wallets on dead drives or phones, and 2014 Ethereum presale wallets. Not recoverable: coins sent to a scammer or wrong address (transactions are irreversible), exchange account lockouts (only the exchange holds those keys), and wallets with nothing to work from — no file, no partial memory, no device. KeychainX tells you which side your case falls on at the free assessment stage, before any agreement is signed.
Why KeychainX
Verifiable Swiss company — KEYCHAINX AG, Baar, Canton of Zug. UID CHE-420.310.730, checkable at zefix.ch. Legal counsel since 2020: MME (Zurich), who prepare the client agreement you sign before any work starts.
Track record — recovering wallets since 2017; 1,000+ recovered; ~79% success rate; covered by Fortune, Cointelegraph, Bitcoin.com and CryptoSlate; original vulnerability research published at keychainx.io/reference.
Meet us before you commit — free video call worldwide, or an in-person meeting by appointment at MME’s Zurich offices.
Nothing upfront, no secrets — free assessment, 20% only on success, and we never ask for your seed phrase or private key.
Start with a free assessment: Contact KeychainX · FAQ · Supported wallets
Frequently asked questions
Are crypto recovery services legitimate?
Some are, many are not. Legitimate services — like KeychainX, a registered Swiss AG — publish a verifiable company registration, charge only on success, never contact you first, and never ask for seed phrases or private keys. The majority of “recovery” offers found in social media replies and DMs are advance-fee scams.
Can a recovery service get back stolen crypto?
No. Blockchain transactions cannot be reversed by anyone. Services claiming to recover scammed or stolen coins are scams. Recovery services restore access to wallets you still own — forgotten passwords, lost seed words, damaged files.
How much does KeychainX charge?
20% of the recovered value, only on success. Assessment is free, and there is no upfront payment of any kind.
Do I have to send my seed phrase?
Never. KeychainX works from the encrypted wallet file and your description of the forgotten password. No legitimate service needs your seed phrase or private key.
How long does wallet recovery take?
Simple password cases can resolve in days; complex cases (partial seeds, presale encoding issues, damaged media) can take weeks to months. You get an honest estimate — including “unrecoverable” — at the free assessment.