Lost money to a
Trading Scam?
- FCA Regulated
- UK’s best-rated
- $ 130m recovered
- 7,000+ customers
What to do if you’ve lost money in a trading scam
Why Choose Reclamacion Financiera to recover your crypto funds?
- Over $130 million recovered for fraud victims
- Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
- The UK’s best-rated
- Helped over 7,000 clients
How to spot Trading Fraud
1️⃣ You came across the person or advert on social media or through a cold call.
On social media, you’ll come across fake brokers or fraudulent investment firms in many ways. Sometimes someone adds you or calls you out of the blue. Other times you’ll see fake celebrity endorsements (always be suspicious of celebrity recommendations). Occasionally it’s more subtle: maybe you read a newsletter or article about trading with quotes from an apparently legitimate broker. If you follow those links or fill in a form, you’ll be contacting a scammer. Once you’ve given your details, it’s normal for one or several fraudulent “companies” to relentlessly hound you.
2️⃣ You were encouraged to invest “starting small” to test the platform.
In these scams, it’s common for them to ask you to invest only 200 or 250 $ to see how it works. Miraculously, your money will generate extraordinary returns, which they use to push you to invest more. They may even let you withdraw a small part of the profits to make you believe it’s all real. Unfortunately, what you see is fake. However real the charts and market movements may seem, scammers are capable of creating extremely convincing fake trading platforms and manipulating them to support whatever story they want. They’ll make up any tale to get you to keep putting money in: sometimes devastating losses you need to “save”, other times once-in-a-lifetime opportunities you can’t afford to miss.
3️⃣ The investment sounds so good that you wonder why they’re telling you about it.
A good exercise is to take a step back and think: if what that person is saying is true, why would they tell me, a complete stranger? Be certain that if I had inside information about a stock or a currency pair that guaranteed an 800% return, I would invest on my own and tell my family and friends, not a stranger. It’s true that some people make money trading the markets, but doing it consistently requires a lot of knowledge and involves risk. Offers that promise guaranteed gains or “trading secrets” are almost always a fraud.
4️⃣ You’ve been asked to deposit money into an account that doesn’t match the broker’s name or to use opaque payment methods.
Don’t do it! If they pressure you to transfer to a personal bank account, a little-known payment processor, or a cryptocurrency wallet before you can trade, it’s very likely a trading scam. Once the money disappears, recovering it through unregulated entities becomes extremely difficult. Sometimes they use the names of legitimate brokers as a front. If your bank was involved in the transfer, you may have grounds to make a claim; in those cases, seek specialist advice. Also, never share your trading platform login details or your card or bank account information with third parties.
5️⃣ You’ve been asked to give them remote access to your device using programmes like AnyDesk or TeamViewer.
This is, quite simply, a huge red flag. No legitimate broker will ask you for remote access to your computer or phone. They do it because that way they can hide warnings, alter what you see on screen, or guide you step by step to transfer funds without giving you time to react. They take advantage of the fact that investment processes can be confusing if you’re a beginner.
6️⃣ You’ve been asked to send screenshots of your transfers to the “broker”.
This is not a security measure. They ask for it because the platform is fake and they need to check that you’ve sent them the money so they can manually enter it into your fictitious account. Remember, they run these scams on hundreds of people every day, so they’d struggle to identify your funds without that proof.
7️⃣ You’ve been asked to pay commissions, taxes or fees to withdraw your money.
This is the scammers’ last resort and appears in nearly all investment scams, such as the fake Forex or binary options broker frauds we’ve already discussed. Even if they hadn’t told you about them before, the fees they ask for will seem reasonable compared to the supposed profits; it’s a deliberate tactic to make you keep handing over money. Never pay those fees: you won’t get your money back and they’ll just invent new obstacles. If there really were fees to pay, they would deduct them directly from your account without needing you to make an additional payment.
Rated Excellent on Excelente en Trustpilot
Mostramos nuestras reseñas de 5 estrellas
Trading scams FAQs
Can Reclamacion Financiera help me recover my funds lost in a trading scam?
Is it possible to recover money lost in a trading scam?
Yes, in many cases it is possible. If you made the transfer from your bank, you may have the right to claim. Even if the money went through a fake platform, your bank has a duty to protect you. We help you with that process.
How long does it take to recover the money?
It depends on the case and the bank’s response. The process can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. If the bank rejects the claim and it becomes necessary to go to the Financial Ombudsman, the timeframe is extended. At Reclamacion Financiera we accompany you every step of the way to speed things up as much as possible.
What if the scammer is abroad?
It doesn’t matter. You can claim against your bank in Spain regardless of where the scammer is located. The claim is based on your bank’s responsibility for processing the transfer, not on chasing the criminal. Many of the fraud cases we handle involve scammers based outside the country.
What evidence do I need to provide?
The more, the better: bank statements, proof of the transfers, screenshots of the fake platform, conversations via WhatsApp, Telegram or email with the supposed broker, and any document proving the contact. Don’t worry if you don’t have everything; we guide you through what is essential during the process.
What happens if my bank has rejected my claim?
Don’t give up. Many banks reject the claim initially, but that doesn’t mean you’re not right. We can help you appeal and take the case to the Financial Ombudsman. It is very common for a well-argued claim to succeed at that second stage.
Why did the fake broker ask me to send screenshots of my transfers?
It’s not a security measure. They asked you for them because the trading platform was fake and they needed to manually confirm that you had sent them the money so they could record it in your fictitious account. Without that proof, they wouldn’t be able to identify your funds among those of other victims.
