Crypto fraud and asset recovery

Common types of case

• Investment and trading platform scams A website or an app shows growing balances, then blocks withdrawals or demands "fees" and "taxes" before releasing funds.
• Romance and relationship scams A person met online persuades the victim to move money into crypto and send it to a wallet they control.
• Impersonation and authorised push payment fraud A caller or message pretends to be a bank, an exchange or an official, and the victim transfers funds believing the instruction is genuine.
• Fake recovery services People who have already lost money are contacted by someone who claims they can get it back for an upfront fee. This is a common second fraud. A lawyer or investigator should not ask you for your wallet keys or seed phrase, and should not promise a result.
• Rug pulls and token fraud Project operators who raise funds from the public and then disappear or drain the project's liquidity.
• Business email compromise A company is tricked into paying an invoice, or a crypto payment, to an account that belongs to a fraudster.

What can be done

1. Preserve the evidence Keep every message, email, screenshot, wallet address, transaction hash, bank statement and website address. Do not delete chats, and do not confront the fraudster, who may move the funds.
2. Trace the funds Transactions on public blockchains can be followed from the victim's wallet to the addresses that received them. A tracing report shows where the funds went and whether they reached an exchange or another service that holds customer records.
3. Notify exchanges and banks quickly Regulated exchanges and banks can sometimes restrict an account once they receive a documented report. Speed matters, because funds are often moved within hours.
4. Report to the authorities A police complaint and, where relevant, a report to the financial regulator create an official record and can support a freezing request.
5. Court orders Where a defendant or a platform can be identified, a court may order assets frozen or order a third party to disclose information about an account. These orders are available only in suitable cases and depend on the jurisdiction where the funds or the defendant are located.
6. Claims against banks and payment providers If the victim sent fiat money by bank transfer, the bank's duties on warning, verification and refunds may be relevant. Whether a claim exists depends on the facts and the rules that apply to the transfer.
7. Civil claim or settlement If a defendant is identified and has reachable assets, a claim for repayment or a negotiated settlement may follow.

Questions clients ask