Seamus Manley · Help
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about how I investigate crypto-scam cases, what recovery really involves, and the one rule that never changes: I never ask you to pay a fee up front to get your own money back.
Do you charge upfront fees to investigate or recover my crypto?
No. I never ask for a fee before tracing or recovering funds. Anyone demanding an up-front “release,” “tax” or “unlock” payment to free your money is running a scam — very often a second one aimed at people who have already been defrauded.
Can you guarantee that my lost funds will be recovered?
No honest investigator can. Recovery depends on how fast you act, how the money left (card, bank transfer or crypto) and where it ultimately landed. My published case files show real outcomes ranging from 31% to 84% — I will always give you a candid assessment, never a promise.
How quickly should I contact you after a scam?
As soon as you possibly can. Stolen crypto is swept and layered within hours, and card and bank rails carry their own dispute deadlines. The single biggest factor in how much I recover is how quickly the case reaches me.
What information do I need to get started?
Whatever you have: dates and amounts, any wallet addresses or transaction hashes, the platform or broker name, and any chats, emails or screenshots. Please don’t delete anything — even the parts that feel embarrassing are evidence.
What types of crypto scams do you investigate?
Romance and “pig-butchering” investment scams, fake exchanges and brokers, withdrawal-fee walls, crypto-collateral loan scams, P2P/OTC escrow fraud, boiler-room binary options, cloned regulated firms, and fake “refund” or “recovery” agencies. You can read real, documented examples in my case studies.
Do you work with my bank and law enforcement?
I prepare the evidence so your bank dispute, card chargeback or police report (IC3, Action Fraud and equivalents) carries a documented on-chain trail rather than just “I was scammed online.” Formal reports are always filed in your name.
Someone contacted me offering to recover money I already lost — is that safe?
Treat it as a scam until proven otherwise. Fake “refund units” and “recovery agencies” deliberately target prior victims, using details from the first scam, and ask for fees up front. I never do that — if someone asks you to pay to receive your own money back, stop.
Can stolen crypto really be traced?
Often, yes. The blockchain keeps a permanent record even after a platform deletes your account. Whether funds can be recovered depends on where they end up — recovery happens where the trail reaches an exchange with a real compliance desk.
What does it cost, and how does payment work?
I assess your situation first and explain honestly what is realistic before any engagement. What I will never do is charge a fee up front to “release” or “unlock” your funds — that is always the mark of a scam, not a genuine investigator.
How do I start?
Submit your case with the details, or get in touch through the contact page. I’ll review it honestly — what can be traced, what can be recovered, and what cannot.
Still have a question?
Tell me what happened and I’ll give you an honest read on what can be traced and recovered — with no up-front fee.
Submit your case →