Every claim is assessed on the same three questions. None of them is about how sympathetic the case is — they are about whether there is a mechanism that can physically return money to you.
1. Which rail did the money leave on?
This determines what mechanism exists at all.
- Credit or debit card — a chargeback right exists under the card scheme rules. This is the strongest position to be in.
- Bank transfer — a recall request can be made, and some jurisdictions have a reimbursement scheme for authorised push payment fraud.
- Crypto — no reversal exists, but there may be a regulated service holding the funds that can be pursued.
- Cash, gift cards or money-transfer agents — almost never recoverable once collected, because there is no counterparty holding anything.
2. How long ago was it?
Every rail has a clock. Card schemes generally count from the transaction date or from the date a promised service failed to materialise. Some statutory dispute rights run from your statement date instead. Bank recalls become far less effective within days, because receiving accounts are emptied quickly. Crypto freezes are often a matter of hours.
Late does not automatically mean hopeless — a scheme that collapses into receivership can produce a distribution years afterwards — but it narrows the options sharply, and we will be straight with you about which doors have closed.
3. Where did the money end up?
Recovery needs an identifiable party that holds funds and has an obligation to respond. A regulated exchange, a bank, an acquirer or a processor all qualify. A self-custodied address that has never interacted with a regulated service does not, no matter how clearly we can see the balance sitting in it.
What you will be told
After assessment you get one of three answers, in writing, on your claim:
- Routes identified — what we are pursuing and roughly when to expect news.
- Limited prospects — one narrow route exists and here is its realistic chance.
- Not viable — no mechanism remains, with the reason stated. In this case we tell you what else is worth doing, which is usually about reporting and tax treatment rather than recovery.
We would rather give you an honest "no" than hold a hopeless case open. A firm that never turns anything down is charging you for hope, and you have already paid enough for that.