If you’ve been targeted by sophisticated scammers, you will naturally be cautious when choosing a professional advisor. We would always encourage you to check the credentials of anyone who offers to help you get money back after a scam. Unfortunately, scammers are known to retarget their victims with offers of help, for an upfront fee, in an attempt to steal more money. We work on a no-win, no-fee basis so would never ask for money upfront. Put simply, if you win, we win. To reassure you that CEL Solicitors is genuine, we’d like to share our company and regulatory information with you. CEL Solicitors is a trading name of Cheshire Estate and Legal Limited (company number: 10370954). We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA number: 633955). The quickest way to check this is to click on the SRA badge at the bottom of this page. Regulated law firms must register their website with the SRA in order to display this clickable link, to validate they are genuine. If you would prefer to visit the SRA website direct, you can find us on their ‘Solicitors Register’. You can also visit the Law Society, which is the independent professional body for solicitors. Look us up on their website using their ‘Find a Solicitor’ tool. This is a free service for anyone looking for information about organisations or people providing legal services that are regulated by the SRA.

Investment scams

Investment scammers convince their victims they have a sound investment opportunity in order to get them to send them money. This could be a ‘brokerage firm’ who offers to help you trade in foreign exchange, binary options, cryptocurrency and other valuable commodities. These scammers often appear incredibly knowledgeable and have websites, testimonials and marketing materials to convince you that they are legitimate. Investment scammers are so sophisticated, they’ve been known to trick professional investors, so if this has happened to you then you should never be embarrassed to get in touch.

Impersonation scams

Impersonation scammers pose as well-known organisations in order to get their victims to send them money. They impersonate trusted organisations such as the police, banks, HMRC or well-known utility and service providers. They might tell you that there has been fraudulent activity on your account and that you should move your money to a ‘safe account’, that you have an un-paid bill that you must pay immediately or face legal consequences or that your account has been hacked and access is required to rectify the problem. Impersonation scammers are very convincing, so if this has happened to you please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Romance scams

Romance scammers convince their victims they’re in a serious relationship in order to get them to send them money. They’ll typically pose as people living and working overseas, which is why they say they can’t meet in person. They don’t always ask for money straight away, instead spending a lot of time building up trust. Then, when they’ve established a good rapport, they’ll create an emergency and ask for temporary financial support. Romance scammers are very manipulative, so if this has happened to you then should never feel ashamed about what’s happened.

Purchase scams

Purchase scammers convince their victims to send them money for high value items such as cars. In these scams the goods won’t be received and the listing or seller will disappear after the bank transfer has been made. Purchase scammers know all of the tricks to deceive online shoppers, so if this has happened to you, you should never feel bad about getting in touch.

Yes, we have team of financial recovery experts who specialise in getting back money lost to scammers. We will review all of the financial transactions in relation to the fraud and if we believe that more could have been done to protect you from fraud then we will complain to the relevant financial institution and seek redress. Where a scammer with assets can be identified, we can also pursue them through the courts.

Through a range of techniques, from financial complaints to legal proceedings, we can seek recovery from either the financial institution that should have detected and prevented the fraud to the scammer themselves, providing they have assets that we can seek recovery from. Where necessary, we use specialist forensic accountants to help trace funds and we have a network of law firms worldwide that can assist recovery of monies hidden in offshore tax havens and foreign jurisdictions.

You may believe that you were at fault for authorising the payment and, that as a result of this, there is nothing you can do. You may have also been put off by your bank if they’ve refused to refund your money. However, we’re experts in financial rules, regulations, codes of conduct, banking laws and legal processes that will assist in getting your money back from a scam. This is why our success rate is so high.

Yes. You can contact the relevant financial institution to try to recover the money yourself. You can also make a complaint if you’re not happy with the response you receive. However, if you would like us to do this for you, we will use our technical knowledge and legal expertise to give you the best chance of success. We’ll also be able to represent you in the event our advice is to pursue this through the courts.

No, we work on a ‘no-win, no-fee’ basis. If we are unsuccessful in recovering your money then you won’t pay us a penny. We also offer free initial, no obligation advice so you have nothing to lose by getting in touch with one of our friendly advisors today. We can start working on your case as soon as you formally instruct us, and our paperwork has been signed. Additionally, you have a 14-day cooling off period, after you’ve signed our initial documents, if you change your mind.