Online investment fraud
Unauthorised brokers, fake trading platforms and cryptocurrency scams: what can realistically be done, and how quickly.
Act in the first hours
Discovering a scam is disorienting, and shame often delays the response. Yet the first hours are decisive: while funds are still moving through intermediaries, there is a real chance of freezing them.
- Stop every further payment immediately, including any 'unblocking fee' or 'tax'
- Keep contracts, emails, chats, screenshots and bank movements
- Block your cards and formally repudiate the transactions with your bank
- File a criminal complaint with the police
- Have a lawyer review whether a chargeback or bank recall is still possible
Warning signs of a fraudulent platform
- No authorisation from the national financial regulator
- Guaranteed or unusually high returns
- Pressure to invest more, or to install remote-access software
- Withdrawals blocked pending payment of a 'tax' or 'fee'
- Payments to personal accounts or crypto wallets rather than a corporate account
What we do
We assess the traceability of the funds, the position of the intermediaries involved and the liability of the bank or payment provider. Depending on the case, this can lead to a chargeback request, a recall, a complaint to the regulator, a criminal complaint, or civil proceedings.
No lawyer can guarantee recovery. What we can do is tell you quickly and honestly whether the case has a realistic route — before you spend more money on it.
Think you have been defrauded?
Send us the details: we will tell you within 24 working hours whether there is a route worth taking.
Legal notices
The content of this page is general information and does not constitute legal advice. No professional relationship arises from submitting the form or calling us: an engagement is created only by a written retainer.
The firm does not guarantee recovery, in whole or in part, of lost funds, nor any timescale. Every case differs and outcomes depend on circumstances outside a lawyer's control.
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