Fraud & financial recovery
Fraud response & recovery
Fraud cases are won or lost in the first weeks, when accounts can still be frozen and records still exist. The work combines fast preservation, careful tracing, and a civil strategy aimed at recovery rather than blame alone.
General legal information only, not legal advice. This guide reflects Maryland practice; other states and countries require counsel admitted in that jurisdiction. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this guide.
Common situations
What this work usually involves
- Wire, transfer, and payment fraud
- Investment and business-email-compromise losses
- Elder financial exploitation and caregiver fraud
- Contractor, vendor, and escrow misconduct
- Recovery of funds held by banks, platforms, or third parties
Step by step
A practical sequence
- 1
Preserve everything immediately
Export statements, transaction confirmations, messages, and call logs. Note account numbers, institutions, dates, and amounts before access changes or records age out.
- 2
Trace the money
Recovery depends on following funds into identifiable accounts or assets. Rapid tracing supports freeze requests, prejudgment attachment, and claims against recipients.
- 3
Notify the right institutions fast
Banks, payment processors, and platforms each have their own dispute and recall windows. Written notice with supporting records preserves options.
- 4
Choose a civil strategy
Claims may include fraud, conversion, unjust enrichment, breach of fiduciary duty, or statutory remedies, depending on who received the funds and why.
- 5
Coordinate with authorities without waiting
A police or regulator report can support a case, but criminal proceedings rarely return money quickly. Civil preservation should proceed in parallel.
Preparation
What to gather
- Transaction records, statements, and confirmations
- All communications with the other party
- Identity and account information for recipients
- A dated chronology of what was promised and paid
Do not send documents or sensitive details until the team confirms a secure process.
Selective intake
Tell us what you are facing.
Send a short, non-sensitive note about the general topic. The team reviews every inquiry for fit, jurisdiction, and conflicts.
Do not include confidential facts, documents, or sensitive personal information. Sending an inquiry does not create an attorney-client relationship or mean a matter has been accepted.