Your rights, and how to use them
Everything on this page is free and does not require you to become a client. In several of these routes you do not need a recovery firm at all — you need to know what to ask for and by when.
Start here
Four things worth understanding before you speak to anyone about recovery — including us.
Your rights after a fraud
Where to report, by jurisdiction
How to document a fraud properly
Recognising a recovery scam
What you are entitled to
Stated generally — the specifics vary by jurisdiction, and this is not legal advice.
From your bank
For an unauthorised transaction — one you did not make and did not authorise — you are generally entitled to a refund, unless the institution can show you acted fraudulently or with gross negligence. The burden of showing that sits with the bank, not with you.
For an authorised push payment, where you were deceived into sending the money yourself, the position is weaker and varies considerably. Several jurisdictions have introduced reimbursement requirements for exactly this scenario, and where they apply they are worth knowing about before you accept a refusal.
To be told why
A refusal should come with a reason and a route to challenge it. If you have received a refusal without either, ask for both in writing — that request often changes the answer, because it creates a record the institution has to stand behind.
To complain, and to escalate
Every jurisdiction we work in has an ombudsman or complaints body that sits above the bank. Escalating is free, does not require a lawyer, and is frequently more effective than a second letter to the same department.
To your own data
You can request the records an institution holds about you, including the transaction data and any internal notes on your case. In most jurisdictions this must be provided within a set period and at no charge. Those records are often the most useful thing you can obtain without a professional.
Where to report it
Report to the national body in your jurisdiction even if you also pursue recovery privately. A formal report strengthens almost every civil route, and the data helps build the picture that gets these operations shut down.
United States
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
- Online fraud and internet-enabled crime
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Complaints about financial institutions
- Federal Trade Commission
- Consumer fraud, including investment schemes
United Kingdom
- Action Fraud
- National reporting centre for England, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Police Scotland
- Reports for Scotland
- Financial Ombudsman Service
- Disputes with banks and payment firms
Australia
- Scamwatch (ACCC)
- National scam reporting
- ReportCyber
- Cybercrime and online fraud
- Australian Financial Complaints Authority
- Disputes with financial firms
European Union
- National consumer authority
- Varies by member state
- National data protection authority
- For breaches involving your personal data
- European Consumer Centre
- Cross-border consumer disputes
Outside these jurisdictions, start with your national fraud reporting centre and your financial regulator. If you are unsure which applies to you, ask us — we will tell you without requiring you to engage us.
How to check any recovery firm, including us
The recovery industry contains a large number of firms whose business model is charging victims a second time. These tests take minutes.
Do they ask for money before recovery?
Have they ever told you no?
Will they put the fee in writing before work starts?
Can you verify their registration independently?
Did they contact you first?
Occasional updates when something changes
Regulatory changes, new scam typologies, and the things we see repeatedly in incoming cases. Sent rarely, and we do not pass your address to anyone.
Ask us about your situation, whoever you end up using
None of the guidance on this page requires you to become a client. If your question has a simple answer, we will give it to you and you can act on it yourself.