How an engagement runs
1. Assessment — free.
Send the transaction hashes and a short account of what happened. I look at whether the trail is likely to lead anywhere and whether the case is worth pursuing. Many enquiries end here with an honest answer that further effort is not justified. There is no charge for this and no obligation.
2. Engagement letter.
If the case is viable, scope, method, deliverable, fee basis and limitations go in writing before any work begins.
3. Investigation.
Regular written updates. If the trail dies — at a mixer, a privacy chain, or an uncooperative jurisdiction — I stop and tell you.
4. Evidence package.
A written report with exhibits, plus a call to walk you through it and explain what it does and does not establish.
5. Onward routes.
Where the evidence supports action, I set out the realistic options — police referral, exchange escalation, civil proceedings, or joining a consolidated group file — and I can introduce you to solicitors experienced in cryptoasset fraud in the relevant jurisdiction.
I accept referral commissions from law firms where I introduce a client. It is disclosed here because it gives me a financial interest in which solicitor you instruct. You are entitled to know that before you accept an introduction, and to ask me about it.
Fees
The consultation and assessment are free.
If I take a case forward, my fee is between 3% and 10% of funds actually returned to you, depending on the complexity of the work. The percentage is agreed in writing before the engagement begins.
I am paid after the money reaches your bank account. There is no retainer, no hourly billing and no upfront cost. If nothing is recovered, you owe me nothing.
This structure exists deliberately. The defining feature of recovery fraud is a payment demanded before anything is delivered. If someone asks you for money up front, or asks you to send cryptocurrency to release funds, you are being defrauded — whoever they claim to be.
Third-party disbursements are not covered by the percentage. Court fees, licensed data, translation and counsel are charged separately, at cost.
State when disbursements fall due — in advance, or out of recovered funds. As written, “no upfront cost” above and “charged separately” here can be read as contradicting each other, and court fees usually do have to be paid in advance.
Minimum case size: USD 100,000
Below roughly this level, the cost of the legal steps that follow a trace — disclosure applications, proceedings, enforcement — usually exceeds what can realistically be returned. Taking those cases would mean charging people for a process that cannot pay for itself.
The exception is group cases. Individual losses below the threshold frequently qualify when they form part of a consolidated file, because the aggregate loss carries the case and the costs are shared. If your loss is under USD 100,000, it is still worth making contact — the question is whether your case connects on-chain to others. More on consolidated cases →