What to do after an investment scam: your first 24 hours
A practical first-day plan: contact your payment provider, protect accounts, preserve evidence and use the right fraud-reporting route.
4 min read
Education libraryClarity, sourced.
Clarity, sourced.
Before you act.
35 plain-language guides for people who suspect an investment scam, with regulator and agency sources behind each one. They explain options; they do not promise recovery.
Sources checked 4 October 2026Prepared by the ChainPoint Justice Editorial Desk with AI assistanceHow we write and check
35 guides
Can cryptocurrency scam money be recovered?
Understand the difference between tracing crypto, freezing an exchange account and actually recovering funds after an investment scam.
4 min read
A crypto platform demands a fee to withdraw: is it a scam?
Recognise fake withdrawal taxes, verification deposits and unlock fees, and know what evidence to save before paying anything else.
3 min read
Recovery-room scams: how to check an offer to recover lost money
Learn the warning signs of follow-up fraud, how to verify a claimed recovery firm and why a detailed knowledge of your loss proves little.
3 min read
Romance investment scams: when an online relationship becomes a financial trap
Recognise financial grooming, fake trading guidance and withdrawal traps while preserving evidence and getting support without blame.
3 min read
Sent a bank transfer to a scammer? What to ask your bank
How to report a fraudulent bank transfer, request a recall and preserve a clear record without assuming reimbursement is automatic.
3 min read
Card chargebacks after a scam: what they can and cannot do
Understand disputed card payments, the evidence an issuer may request and why buying crypto by card is not the same as paying a fraudulent merchant.
3 min read
Authorised vs unauthorised scam payments: why the difference matters
How to explain payment approval, deception and account takeover accurately when reporting fraud to a bank or payment service.
3 min read
How to preserve evidence of an investment scam
Build a usable fraud evidence pack with payment records, original messages and a timeline while avoiding oversharing and altered files.
3 min read
Crypto transaction hashes: what to save for a fraud report
Identify a transaction hash, network and wallet address, and understand what blockchain evidence can and cannot establish.
3 min read
How to check whether an investment firm is authorised
Check the correct regulator, product permissions and independent contact details before trusting an investment registration number.
3 min read
Clone-firm scams: a real licence number can belong to a fake offer
Learn how scammers copy genuine investment firms and how to compare domains, people and payment instructions independently.
3 min read
Fake trading profits: why a rising account balance proves little
Distinguish a platform display from actual trading and understand how early withdrawals and invented profits are used in investment fraud.
3 min read
Remote-access banking scams: what to do if someone controlled your device
Stop remote access, contact the bank from a safe device and secure accounts after a fake support or investment-adviser call.
3 min read
Fake bank texts and emails: how to verify and respond safely
Recognise phishing even when a message looks genuine, and take targeted steps if you clicked a link, shared a code or made a payment.
3 min read
Shared your ID with a scammer? How to reduce identity-theft risk
A targeted plan for exposed identity documents, passwords and financial details after an investment or payment scam.
3 min read
Business email compromise: what to do after a fake invoice payment
Respond to payment-redirection fraud, preserve original emails and verify changed bank details without relying on the compromised thread.
3 min read
Job and task scams: why you should not pay to release your earnings
Recognise fake work platforms, deposit-to-earn traps and money-mule requests, and preserve evidence if you have already paid.
3 min read
Social-media investment adverts: check the offer before you click or pay
Evaluate celebrity endorsements, AI videos, testimonials and chat-group investment pitches without confusing visibility with legitimacy.
3 min read
Cross-border investment fraud: where should you report it?
Map your residence, provider, recipient and claimed investment firm so you can use relevant reporting and complaint routes without assuming a global refund rule.
3 min read
How to write a bank scam complaint letter that is easy to assess
A fact-led structure for a fraud complaint: transactions, chronology, disputed decision, requested remedy and supporting records.
3 min read
Criminal reports, bank complaints and civil recovery: three different routes
Understand what police, regulators, complaint bodies and civil courts can do after financial fraud, and why one route does not replace the others.
3 min read
How to support someone after an investment scam
Offer practical help without blame, protect the person’s autonomy and reduce the risk of further payments and recovery fraud.
3 min read
Canada: how to report investment fraud and protect your accounts
A Canadian reporting plan covering your financial institution, local police, the CAFC and identity protection, with clear limits on what each route does.
4 min read
Canada: bank fraud complaints, the 56-day process and OBSI
Understand the complaint route for federally regulated Canadian banks, when OBSI escalation may be available and why FCAC does not decide your refund.
4 min read
Netherlands: where to report an investment scam
A Dutch reporting guide separating bank action, police reporting, AFM and DNB supervision, and the role of Fraudehelpdesk.
4 min read
Netherlands: bank scam complaints and the Kifid route
How to prepare a Dutch financial-provider complaint, check Kifid eligibility and understand the significance of court or binding-decision choices.
4 min read
Belgium: reporting an investment scam to your bank, police and FSMA
Understand Belgium’s financial-fraud reporting routes, Safeonweb phishing reporting and the distinction between FSMA warnings and personal recovery.
4 min read
UK APP scam reimbursement: eligibility, £85,000 limit and deadlines
The UK domestic bank-transfer reimbursement framework: payments from 7 October 2024, covered customers, reporting deadlines, excess and exclusions.
4 min read
UK investment fraud: FCA reports, police reports and FOS complaints
Choose the right UK route for an investment scam, cloned firm or bank complaint, and understand why FCA and FOS have different roles.
4 min read
Sweden: what to do after an investment scam
Follow Finansinspektionen’s bank-first, police and reporting guidance while preserving evidence and protecting compromised account access.
4 min read
Australia: report an investment scam, protect your identity and complain
Understand the roles of your bank, Scamwatch, ReportCyber, police, IDCARE and AFCA after an Australian investment scam.
4 min read
Australia: how to check an investment platform and AFS licence
Verify ASIC licence details, authorised representatives, genuine contact information and the investment itself without assuming a licence means safety.
4 min read
United States: reporting cryptocurrency investment fraud
Prepare an FBI IC3 report, notify the sending provider and distinguish FTC and securities-regulator reports from a guaranteed recovery.
4 min read
Ireland: investment fraud reports, Central Bank checks and FSPO complaints
Use Irish bank, Garda and Central Bank routes appropriately, and distinguish a suspicious-firm report from an eligible provider complaint to FSPO.
4 min read