Frequently Asked Questions
TAGS: How to recover money from a scam? What is the chance of recovering the money I lost to a scam? I suspect the website I’m interacting with is a scam; how can I be sure? How to tell if it is a scam. How long does it take to receive a response after submitting a contact form? Is Cybertrace legit? How to identify an online troll? Who’s behind a fake social media account? How to find crypto in divorce cases? Where to report a scam? Do I have to pay upfront? How much does it cost to investigate a scam? I filled in the contact form, what’s next? I want to make an anonymous report, is it possible?
How to recover money from a scam?
Need to know how to recover money from a scam?
Are you sure it is a scam? If not check out our answer to topic 4. below, How to tell if it is a scam. If you are not sure, contact our team of investigators who are experts in this field.
Recovering funds from a scam can be complex. However, investigations of international fraud and scams are Cybertrace’s exact area of expertise. It is possible to recover your money from a scammer, but to have any chance of making a recovery, we first need to investigate and identify who is responsible.
Unless the scammer can be identified, there is simply no way of proceeding into the asset recovery stages as we don’t know who to pursue to make a recovery. Hence the first step, the investigation, is so crucial to the success of any funds recovery process. The process of how to recover money from a scam can really vary as every situation is so different. Often, tracing crypto or conducting digital forensic investigations may be required to uncover who is responsible for taking your money. Either way, it all begins with an investigation.
If our private investigators can help you by successfully identifying the scammer and collecting evidence of the offender’s involvement in the fraud, now it is time to consider the best way to try and recover the funds. And again, there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. Only once we identify the scammer and understand who they are and where they are, can we begin to determine the best way to try and recover our client’s funds. For some situations, we may negotiate on our client’s behalf to recover funds. Whilst other situations may require us to work with partner companies or lawyers.
Whilst Cybertrace works with some of the world’s leading law enforcement agencies and has one of the highest possible capabilities of global fraud investigations, recovering funds from a scam is still not a simple process. We pride ourselves on our honesty and our transparency. We cannot promise we’ll successfully manage to recover your funds, but we can promise to give you the best possible chance at recovery!
Also see, How to tell if it is a scam below.
What is the chance of recovering the money I lost to a scam?
The chance of recovering funds lost to a scam depends on the individual situation.
Are you sure it is a scam? If not check out our answer to topic 4. below, How to tell if it is a scam. If you are not sure, contact our team of investigators who are experts in this field.
Before we can determine if recovering funds is possible, we first need to assess the situation. The first step in any asset recovery process is to investigate with the aim of identifying the offender. If the scammer is identified through our investigation, you will then have options to move into the asset recovery stages.
It is important to note that you cannot recover your funds unless you know who has possession of your funds. This is why we place an emphasis on the initial stage of the investigation. We do not quote to recover funds unless the offender is known. This is because every offender is different and every recovery operation is different. Therefore, it is impossible to know the costs in advance.
We are aware that some recovery companies will quote in advance, however, their quote is a guess, and we believe this approach is misleading as it suggests that a recovery is possible, even when it is not.
We offer free assessments of all cases and then our team of scam investigators can provide a proposal and discuss the process with you.
Also see, How much does it cost to investigate a scam above.
I suspect the website I’m interacting with is a scam; how can I be sure?
You can use our free tool ScamID, by simply searching the suspected website’s URL in our search bar. Then, our algorithm will identify the potential risk of that platform.
You can also learn more about how to look for ‘red flags’ when assessing a website by reading our article here. If you have already invested through a high-risk website, please get in touch with us for a free consultation, and we can assist you with further action.
If you still are not sure, check out our answer to topic 4. below, How to tell if it is a scam. If you are not sure, contact our team of investigators who are experts in this field.
How to tell if it is a scam.
One of the most common questions we’re asked is, how to tell if it is a scam? This is not always an easy task but there are some common red flags that you can look for when trying to tell if you’re involved in a scam. Often scam websites will make claims that seem too good to be true or scammers offer returns on your investment that are extremely high. In today’s scam landscape, most people are referred to a scam by a friend or via romance they have made online. We call this scam technique, Romance Baiting.
If anyone is asking you to pay taxes before you can access your funds or make a withdrawal, the chances are high that it is a scam!
Should you still be unsure, search the website’s domain name with our internal scam detection tool, ScamID. This will give you an indication of risk based on our automated assessment.
How long does it take to receive a response after submitting a contact form?
After you submit an enquiry through our website, one of our team members will contact you within 1 business day, with the exception of holidays. As time can be of the essence when dealing with some sensitive matters, such as online harassment or crypto scams, we do aim to return enquiries within 3 hours.
Also see, How much does it cost to investigate a scam above.
Is Cybertrace legit?
For the past 7 years, Cybertrace has pioneered the investigation of international cyber fraud and crypto scams. We are proven leaders in the global private intelligence industry, and we have worked closely with global law enforcement during this time. We have assisted major financial crime investigations in collaboration with some of the world’s leading law enforcement agencies. Our investigations are recognised globally, and our capabilities are some of the highest available.
We encourage our prospective clients to undertake their own due diligence by researching our company, our operations, and our licensing/ company registration.
We operate internationally under the following registered companies:
Australia: Cybertrace Pty Ltd.
Registration no: ACN 605 834 697
Netherlands: Cybertrace B.V
Registration no: KvK 84929685
We investigate internationally under the following Private Investigation Licenses.
Australia (NSW): 411710138
Netherlands: POB 7084
You can learn more about our company registration and license on our accreditations page.
How to identify an online troll?
Online trolls and cyber harassment via online trolls and need to know who the offender is, then don’t report the profile to the social media platform yet. Our social media investigators will need the profile to be active to investigate it and identify the offender.
Our team has investigated countless social media profiles and we always provide value to our client. If we are not able to identify the offender, we will provide intelligence on who is likely to be behind the harassment campaign. If you really want to know who’s behind a fake social media account, contact our expert team.
How to find out who’s behind a fake account?
Trying to identify who is behind a fake social media account can be complex. Sometimes offenders may leave clues, such as making constant spelling mistakes. If a unique writing style or consistent mistake is identified and you have someone you suspect may be behind the fake account, then comparing writing styles could give you clues as to who the offender is. These elements will greatly increase the chance of identifying who’s behind a fake social media account.
However, to really have a chance at confirming who’s behind a fake social media account, you will likely need to engage Cybertrace’s expert social media investigators. We have custom-built technical tools which we’ve designed ourselves just for the purpose if identifying those hiding behind fake accounts.
How to find crypto in divorce cases?
Cybertrace are certified cryptocurrency tracing and blockchain forensic experts. We can use our skillset to locate crypto in divorce cases and can prepare expert opinion reports for court hearings.
As every case is different, we recommend booking a free consultation to learn how we can help.
Where to report a scam?
If you want to report a scam, most countries will have a government website to report scams.
In Australia, you can report a scam to ScamWatch. Other government authorities where you can report a scam include, ReportCyber, your local police (any country), or if you are in the USA, report a scam to the FBI – IC3.
Do I have to pay upfront?
The fee for investigation services needs to be made in advance to cover all operations expenses and the time our team of cyber investigators needs to invest in your case. We always offer a clear proposal including the costs of our services to our clients before we proceed with any investigation. There are no hidden fees, and we aim to offer cost-effective solutions for our clients.
How much does it cost to investigate a scam?
We’re often asked, How much does it cost to investigate a scam? This is not an easy question to answer as every situation is different and our investigations are independently quoted for this reason. If you would like to know how much it costs to investigate a scam, we can quote you once we you submit a contact form through our website. After that, one of our investigators will reach out to you with further information.
I filled in the contact form, what’s next?
After you submit a contact form to us, one of our investigators will reach out to you very soon. Always within 1 business day, although normally within a few hours from the time you contact us. We offer free consultations and assessments of all cases, where we will discuss your situation and our services. After that, we can let you know how much it will be to investigate your case.
Also see, How much does it cost to investigate a scam above?
I want to make an anonymous report, is it possible?
Yes, you can use our anonymous contact form, Scamileaks.
Also see, How to report a scam above.