Freezing Digital Assets: How Mareva Injunctions and Disclosure Orders Empower Crypto Fraud Victims

Tubrazy Shahid
Apr 17
3 min read

As cryptocurrency adoption rises, so does the complexity of resolving disputes involving stolen or misappropriated digital assets. For victims of crypto scams, time is of the essence—and two legal tools have emerged as essential weapons in the fight for justice: the Mareva injunction and the disclosure order.

These mechanisms are enabling victims to freeze assets held in crypto wallets and compel exchanges to identify the people behind them—even when perpetrators hide behind layers of anonymity or operate across borders.

What Is a Mareva Injunction?

A Mareva injunction is a type of freezing order that prevents a defendant from dissipating their assets before a court judgment can be enforced. In the context of crypto, it allows victims to freeze tokens, coins, or NFTs held in wallets suspected to be tied to fraud.

Courts in the UK, Singapore, Canada, and several Commonwealth jurisdictions have ruled that cryptocurrency is property, and therefore subject to freezing orders like any other asset.

Once granted, the injunction can extend to:

On-chain wallets (even anonymous ones)
Accounts held on centralized exchanges
Custodial or cold storage wallets linked to the defendant

This ensures that digital assets are preserved until a final judgment is rendered.

What Is a Disclosure Order?

A disclosure order, often issued as a Norwich Pharmacal order, compels third parties—such as crypto exchanges, wallet providers, or blockchain analytics companies—to reveal information they hold about a defendant.

This is especially powerful in crypto-related cases, where identifying wallet holders is difficult. A well-targeted disclosure order can:

Unmask the real identity behind a wallet or account
Reveal transaction histories
Identify IP addresses, device info, and KYC documents
Enable enforcement across jurisdictions

Victims and their legal teams often combine blockchain forensics with disclosure orders to build a full evidentiary picture for court proceedings.

A Powerful Combination for Justice

The real strength lies in the combination of Mareva injunctions and disclosure orders. Once the wallet is identified and frozen, the next step is to unmask the wrongdoer—and fast.

Legal teams acting quickly and strategically have successfully:

Froze crypto assets worth millions within hours of detection
Obtained orders against “persons unknown”
Compelled exchanges to cooperate across multiple jurisdictions
Recovered stolen crypto from scammers and hackers

Cross-Border Enforceability

Since crypto operates beyond borders, these legal tools are especially useful in international fraud cases. If the fraud took place in one country, but the assets are held in another, courts are increasingly willing to extend injunctions extraterritorially, especially where exchanges operate globally.

Some crypto-friendly jurisdictions like the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Singapore, and Dubai have shown openness to these remedies in digital asset cases.

Final Thoughts

Victims of crypto scams are no longer powerless. While crypto’s decentralized nature presents legal hurdles, courts around the world are recognizing digital assets as recoverable property and treating anonymity not as a shield—but as a challenge to be legally overcome.

Mareva injunctions and disclosure orders are now cornerstones of effective recovery strategies. With the right legal counsel and forensic tools, victims can freeze, trace, and recover stolen digital assets—and take one crucial step closer to justice.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice.

Author & Crypto Consultant

Shahid Jamal Tubrazy (Crypto & Fintech Law Consultant)

Shahid Jamal Tubrazy, a certified top expert in Crypto Law from Duke University, is a leading authority in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. As a seasoned Fintech lawyer, he offers a full spectrum of services, including licensing, legal guidance for ICOs, STOs, DeFi, and DAOs, as well as specialized expertise in crypto mediation, negotiation, and mergers and acquisitions. With a proven track record and published works on Blockchain Regulation and Cryptocurrency Laws, Shahid provides unparalleled insights into the complexities of the fintech world, ensuring compliance and strategic success. 🌐💼 #CryptoLaw #Fintech #Blockchain #LicenseServices #CryptoMediator #MergersAndAcquisitions #CryptoCompliance #FrozenAssetsrecovery.