If you’ve lost money to an investment scam, you’re not alone — and you may be able to get your money back with the right help.
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A look at the impact of our work, set against the growing reality of romance fraud today.
£150M+ recovered and back in the hands of those who were exploited by fraud.
9,000+ people across the UK have turned to us for support after falling for fraudulent scams.
38% of all reported authorised push payment losses are due to investment scams.
An investment scam is when fraudsters trick you into handing over money or cryptocurrency by promising fake or high-return investments. These investor scams often appear as genuine opportunities, involving everything from crypto trading and stocks to wine or fine art investments.
Investment fraudsters can be clever and use persuasive tactics, fake celebrity endorsements, fake websites, and cloned platforms to make their scams look real.
Investment scams can be one of the most difficult types of APP (Authorised Push Payment) fraud to spot and avoid. Unfortunately, they are also one of the most damaging. The UK reports an average of nearly 8,000 cases yearly, resulting in a loss of more than £144 million in 2024 alone – a trend that looks set to continue.
Investment scammers can be very convincing, so arming yourself with the knowledge you need to avoid being tricked is essential. Some of the most common signs of an investment scam are if:
Legitimate investment companies don’t cold-call or message people out of the blue. If you’re contacted on social media or email by someone offering quick profits, be cautious, as it may be a fake investment scam.
Investment fraudsters use time limits or special bonuses to rush you into a decision. Genuine firms will give you time to research before investing.
Scammers may try to rush you to make a quick decision but gloss over important details, or keep things secret, which is a big red flag of investment fraud.
Scammers often clone real platforms or create fake websites to look trustworthy. Always double-check if a website is legitimate and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Due to the rise in modern technology, deepfakes - the art of using AI to make fake videos of celebrities - are on the rise, which scammers may use to promote their fake investments.
Promises of guaranteed high returns with no risk are classic red flags. Real investments carry risk, and no one can guarantee big profits. Investing can either be low-risk or high-reward, but rarely both at the same time.
All legitimate financial firms in the UK must be authorised by the FCA. You can check this online, meaning you can ensure that you never invest with companies that aren’t registered.
These scams target people interested in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum. Fraudsters pretend to offer safe, high-return crypto investments, but often steal your money or assets through fake exchanges or wallets.
Binary options are a type of trading scam where fraudsters promise easy profits by betting on price movements. These schemes are often run by unlicensed brokers and can be very hard to recover money from.
Fraudulent forex schemes claim to offer risk-free currency trading. Scammers may pose as brokers or use fake websites, convincing victims to hand over large sums.
Tech-savvy scammers can duplicate legitimate websites to trick their victims into giving away sensitive information or making payments. In many cases, these cloned sites look identical to legitimate platforms and appear to offer the same functionality.
Criminals trick people into investing in fine wine or whiskey, which are unregulated and often fake. These scams are growing and can lead to serious financial losses.
A land or property investment scam usually involves criminals claiming to guarantee high returns on investments in real estate. The scheme may inflate property values, make fake promises of developments, or claim to offer/represent non-existent properties.
A pension scam tricks people into giving their retirement money to fraudsters. The scammer offers large profits and safety in exchange for accessing and using the pension funds. These scams exploit retirees’ desire for financial stability in their golden years.
While knowing how to stay vigilant against investment fraudsters is essential, it can be difficult to understand why investment scammers have chosen to target you. However, there are some patterns we can follow.
Investment scammers use many tactics to make contact, often appearing through familiar or trustworthy channels such as social media (which is one of the most common types of investment fraud), online adverts, emails, or even word of mouth.
Fraudsters create fake social media profiles and companies that show luxurious lifestyles, designed to entice you into fake investment schemes.
They send phishing emails, texts, or phone calls that create a false sense of urgency, pressuring you to act quickly and hand over money or personal details. Some scammers even clone legitimate investment websites, leading you to believe you’re signing into a platform you have used before. These fake sites look almost identical to the real ones, so they can be very difficult to spot.
If you’ve fallen victim to an investment scam, the first thing you should do is report it to your bank and the police without delay. That way, the fake investment scam has been officially reported, and you should receive a crime reference number, which is especially useful as evidence for your legal claim..
The next step is to hire trusted investment fraud lawyers. At CEL Solicitors, we specialise in helping people recover money lost to investment scams. If your bank won’t assist with recovering your funds, our team of investment scam solicitors are here to support you.
We’ve helped thousands of clients across the UK reclaim money lost to investment fraud, and we’ll work tirelessly to support you with care, understanding, and expert guidance. Just Tell CEL.
Speak to our friendly team today. You are not alone, and you may have a case.
At CEL Solicitors, we have a dedicated team of financial recovery experts who specialise in helping clients recover money lost to scammers.
We carefully review all the financial transactions related to your case. If we find that a financial institution could have done more to protect you from fraud, we will make a formal complaint on your behalf and seek compensation.
If the scammer can be identified and has assets, we can also take legal action against them to recover your money.
While every case is different and recovery is not always guaranteed, our team of investment scam solicitors are relentless in supporting you to get the best possible outcome.
Yes, we can help trace and recover money lost to cryptocurrency scams.
Our experts use specialised software called Chainalysis Reactor to follow the trail of cryptocurrency transactions on the blockchain. This helps us identify where the funds have gone, often to a crypto asset exchange provider, so we can work on recovering them for you.
Yes, you can contact your bank or financial institution directly to try to recover your money if you’ve been scammed into a fake investment opportunity. If you’re unhappy with their response, you have the right to make a formal complaint.
However, if you choose to work with trusted investment fraud lawyers like us, we bring technical knowledge and legal expertise to give you the best chance of success. We’ll handle the complex steps for you and can represent you if the case needs to go to court.
You’re not alone in this — we’re here to guide and support you every step of the way.
No, we work on a no-win, no-fee basis. If we are unsuccessful in recovering your money from our investment scam, 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.
When you’re dealing with a legal issue, whether it’s a scam, a housing dispute, or a case of professional negligence, it’s important to know you’re in safe hands.
We understand that many of our clients come to us after being misled, mistreated, or let down. It’s only natural to feel cautious when choosing a law firm to support you.
CEL Solicitors is a fully regulated law firm. We don’t ask for any upfront payments, and we work on a no-win, no-fee basis wherever possible, meaning you won’t pay us a penny unless your claim is successful.
You can confirm that CEL Solicitors is genuine by checking our credentials:
If you’re ever unsure, just tell CEL. We’ll help you verify everything for yourself.
We use a variety of approaches to help recover your money, tailored to your specific case.
First, we investigate whether the financial institution involved could have done more to detect or prevent the fraud. If so, we make a formal complaint and seek compensation from them.
If the investment scammer can be identified and has assets, we can take legal action to recover funds directly from them.
To support this, we work with specialist forensic accountants who trace where the money has gone. We also have a trusted network of law firms around the world to help recover funds hidden offshore or in other countries.
Our team of investment fraud solicitors is committed to pursuing every possible avenue to get your money back.
It’s common to feel responsible if you authorised a payment that turned out to be fraudulent. You might think there’s nothing you can do, especially if your bank has refused to refund you.
But don’t lose hope. We specialise in the financial rules, regulations, codes of conduct, and legal processes that can help challenge those decisions and recover your money.
Our expertise is why our fraud recovery success rate is so high — and why many clients who initially thought they had no options have been able to get their money back.
If you’re worried about fault, just tell CEL. Our team of investment scam lawyers will guide you through your options with care and honesty.
As well as helping clients recover losses for investment scams, at CEL Solicitors, we help clients who have experienced a wide range of other Authorised Push Payment (APP) frauds. These scams trick you into authorising payments to fraudsters, often through highly convincing stories or pressure tactics. Common types include:
If you’ve been targeted by any of these scams or similar ones, you’re not alone — and we’re here to help you take back control and recover what you’ve lost.
You can report an investment scam to your bank and the financial regulators yourself, and it’s worth doing so as quickly as possible. However, many of our clients came to us after trying to handle their claim alone, having been offered far less than we were ultimately able to recover on their behalf. Our team of scam solicitors has helped thousands of people across the UK recover money lost to investment fraud, and we know how to build the strongest possible case from the outset. There’s no financial risk in getting expert help — we work on a no-win, no-fee basis throughout.
Get in touch now to see how we can help you recover from fraud.