Contact the Merchant, Broker or Financial Service
Even if you feel certain that the other party will refuse to make restitution, grant a refund or remain unresponsive, it’s important to take this first step of contacting them and make a request that the issue is resolved. For example, you may not know the actual people behind bitcoin scams, but use the contact information provided.
Authorities are likely to ask you later on before examining your complaint, if you gave the other party a fair chance to resolve the issue privately. This is true even in the case of bitcoin scams. Be sure to keep a record of this communication to prove the other party rejected a request to resolve the issue or was unresponsive.