I had around $300 in an Argentine exchange I used to buy crypto. A week ago it just stopped working without any warning and I can't access my account. I read that the company shut down but didn't return anything to anyone. Is there any way to get the money back or am I out of luck?
I went through something similar a while back with a smaller platform, so I know how frustrating it is. The first thing you need to do is document everything: screenshots of your account, confirmation emails, transaction records, anything that proves you had that money there. Then, find out if the company left any official statement or if there's a liquidation process underway. Sometimes exchanges that close have to go through a legal process where users can file claims.
Contact the Consumer Ombudsman or file a complaint with the relevant regulatory authority (in Argentina it could be the CNV or the Central Bank, depending on how the platform was registered). It's also worth looking for groups on social media with other affected users, because sometimes they join forces to make collective claims. The truth is that recovering the money isn't guaranteed, especially if the company disappeared without a trace, but you at least have to try through legal channels.
If the exchange had no regulation or official license, unfortunately your situation is complicated. That's exactly what happens with many unregulated platforms: when they close, users lose almost everything because there's no protection fund. For the future, always go with registered and authorized exchanges, even if it's less convenient.
Unfortunately, if the company closed without refunds, getting your money back is really difficult but not impossible. You'd need to file a report at the police station (it creates a formal record) and also contact the National Securities Commission if it was operating in Argentina, though with small exchanges that disappear it's rare to get a quick response. The most realistic thing is to try to locate the owners or legal representatives through public records - some shut down operations but the information stays public in AFIP or the business registry - and threaten legal action; sometimes that speeds up a partial settlement. The other option is to wait for a group of affected people to put together a class action lawsuit, because your individual claim alone is going to take years if it goes anywhere at all.
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