Fraud is not a simple thing to tackle. On one hand, there are telltale signs that you may be dealing with a fraudulent company such as them rushing you to deposit money, but on the other hand, it can be people that we trust who end up being the perpetrators of fraud. When it comes to financial fraud, the subject can be especially delicate. Perhaps your life savings have been stolen, or they may have stolen private information that puts your finances at risk. Within the first 24 hours of fraud taking place you need to act fast. Many make the mistake of panicking and not taking action soon enough. Take a look at the following suggestions as to what you should do if you think you have been the victim of investment fraud.
Call your bank
First of all, if you can see the money is a pending transaction soon to be taken from your bank account, ring your bank immediately. If the transaction is still pending, there is a possibility that your bank can stop it before it’s too late. This is only in very few circumstances though, so keep this in mind before you get your hopes up. Reporting the transaction as fraud regardless should be done, even if the money seems to have officially been sent to the fraudsters.
Create a timeline of your actions
At this stage, you need to have an idea of how this mess started. Did the fraudulent company contact you out of the blue? Were you hacked within an existing crypto account and fallen victim to a crypto scam? Consider the timeline of how this started, as this will support you in the next points.
Collate any information you have from your interactions
Gather any information you have regarding the company you were dealing with, any previous history of people you spoke to associated with the organisation, and also any documents you may be able to show as proof of evidence. If you have an account with the fraudulent company, take as many screenshots as possible as the chances are they will be shutting down the platform as soon as you report them to the authorities.
Report to the police
Now, you need to report what has happened to the police. Potentially, there may be others who have also been victims of investment fraud who have also experienced the same ordeal, to which the police may already be on the case. Having everything on file will protect you whilst also providing supporting evidence once you take things to court.
Get in touch with an investment fraud lawyer
Last and most importantly, it will be worthwhile to get in touch with an investment fraud lawyer. Should banks offer little to no help in helping you get your money back, you will likely get support from organisations such as WRS. They may be able to locate your lost investments and take action in getting them back to you. This will be the best-case scenario as identifying the fraudsters and bringing them to justice will stop them from doing the same thing to anyone else.
