Frequently asked questions

No, and you should not engage anyone who says otherwise.

Recovery depends on factors outside any investigator's control: where the funds went, whether they passed through a mixer or privacy coin, whether they reached a regulated service that will respond to lawful requests, and how much time has passed. We assess your case honestly and tell you when the realistic prospect is low — including when it is close to zero.

What we can commit to is a competent, documented investigation and a clear account of what is and is not achievable.

The initial case assessment is free. If we take the case on, you receive a written engagement agreement setting out the scope, the fee structure, and what happens if nothing is recovered — before you commit to anything.

We do not ask for cryptocurrency payments, we invoice to a corporate account, and we never ask for a fee to "release" funds. Any approach demanding payment in crypto or gift cards in our name is not us.

Immediately. Stolen crypto is usually moved within hours to days, and a freeze at a receiving exchange is only possible while the funds are still there.

Older cases are not automatically hopeless — funds sometimes sit dormant, off-ramps are identified later, and cases connect to wider investigations — but the position is materially weaker. If the loss happened in the last few days, treat it as urgent.

As much of the following as you have:

• Transaction hashes and wallet addresses for every payment
• The chain and token used for each transfer
• Screenshots and exports of all communications with the fraudster
• The platform's website address and any saved pages
• Bank or exchange statements showing the payments
• Any police or regulator report reference
• A dated timeline of what happened

Submit what you have — a missing item does not stop us starting. Our evidence guide explains how to capture each of these properly.

Never, under any circumstances. No legitimate investigation requires them.

Anyone asking for your recovery phrase, private keys, or remote access to your wallet is attempting theft, regardless of whose name they use. If someone claiming to represent us asks for these, it is not us — contact us through the details on this site and report it.

Yes. Case data is stored on encrypted infrastructure with access restricted to the specialists assigned to your case. Evidence files are held outside the public web directory and cannot be reached by a web address.

We share information with third parties only where you instruct us to, or where we are legally required to. Full detail is in our privacy policy.

Treat it as fraudulent until proven otherwise. Victim details are resold between criminal groups, and unsolicited recovery offers are one of the most common ways people are defrauded a second time.

We do not contact victims unsolicited. Our guide Recovery scams: how not to be a victim twice sets out the warning signs and the questions to ask any firm — including us.

Broadly in five stages:

1. Assessment — we review your report and tell you whether there is a realistic path.
2. Engagement — scope and fees are agreed in writing.
3. Investigation — blockchain tracing, open-source intelligence, and digital forensics to establish where funds went.
4. Action — an evidenced report submitted to the relevant exchanges, regulators, and law enforcement, with support through the legal process.
5. Resolution — outcome reported to you, whether or not funds are returned.

The recovery process page covers each stage in detail.

The initial assessment is usually returned within one to three business days. A full tracing analysis typically takes one to four weeks depending on complexity and the number of transactions.

What follows is largely outside our control. Exchange compliance responses take days to months, and legal or law enforcement processes can run considerably longer. We keep your case record updated at every stage.

No. Nobody can — that is a property of how blockchains work, not a limitation of our tooling. Any firm implying otherwise is misrepresenting the technology.

Recovery happens through intermediaries: an exchange freezing an account holding the funds, a court order, or a law enforcement seizure. Our work is to trace the funds, identify who holds them, and produce evidence to a standard those parties will act on.

Yes. We prepare evidence packages formatted for law enforcement use and support clients in engaging the relevant agencies. We also encourage every client to file their own report with their national authority — it creates an official record and is often required before an exchange will act.

We are a private investigation firm, not a law enforcement agency, and we have no powers of seizure or arrest.

Cryptocurrency investment fraud, relationship investment fraud ("pig butchering"), fake exchanges and trading platforms, Ponzi and pyramid schemes, wallet compromise and drainer signatures, rug pulls and token fraud, romance fraud with a financial element, business email compromise involving digital assets, and advance-fee fraud including recovery scams.

If you are unsure whether your situation fits, submit a report and we will tell you.

Yes. Every submitted report receives a case reference. Enter that reference and the email address you used on the case tracking page to see the current status, the timeline of updates from your case team, and to send a secure message.

We will tell you, as early as we can establish it, rather than continuing to bill work with no realistic prospect.

Even where funds cannot be returned, an investigation often has value: a documented evidence package for law enforcement, material supporting an insurance or tax-loss claim, and intelligence that contributes to cases against the same operators. We will be clear about what you are getting.

Yes, always, and as early as possible. An official report reference materially strengthens any approach to an exchange, connects your case to related investigations, and is often a precondition for action.

Depending on where you are, that means IC3 or the FTC in the United States, Action Fraud in the United Kingdom, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Scamwatch or ReportCyber in Australia, or your national police cybercrime unit elsewhere.