Resources · Guide
The first 48 hours after an investment scam
By the Enlow Case Team · Last reviewed: September 17, 2026
What you do in the first two days has an outsized effect on whether your money can be traced and returned. This is the exact sequence we recommend to every claimant — in priority order, because the order matters.
Hour 0–2: Stop the bleeding
Before anything else, make sure no more money can leave. Scammers routinely go back for a second withdrawal — often disguised as a "release fee" or "tax payment" needed to unlock your supposed profits. There are no profits. Do not pay anything further, no matter how convincing the reason sounds.
- Cancel any pending transfers or standing orders to the platform.
- If you paid by card, ask your bank to block the card — recurring charges are common.
- If the scammers have remote access to your device (AnyDesk, TeamViewer), disconnect it from the internet and uninstall the software.
- Do not tell the scammers you know. Silence preserves options; confrontation makes them move the money faster.
Hour 2–24: Contact your bank — with the right words
Call the fraud department of every bank or card issuer you paid from, not the general helpline. Say clearly: "I want to report fraud and request a recall of these transactions." The word "fraud" triggers a formal process; "I made a bad investment" does not.
- Ask for a transaction recall (bank transfers) or chargeback (card payments).
- Ask the bank to flag the receiving account — banks can freeze funds that are still sitting there.
- Request a written case reference for every report you make. You will need these numbers later.
- Speed matters most for bank transfers: recalled funds are usually recoverable only while they remain in the first receiving account, often a window of days.
Hour 24–48: Preserve every piece of evidence
Fraud platforms disappear — websites go offline, chat histories get deleted, and account dashboards vanish. Capture everything now, before it does. Strong evidence is the single biggest factor in successful restitution claims.
- Screenshot your account dashboard on the platform, including balances and transaction history.
- Save the full chat history (WhatsApp, Telegram, email) with the people who recruited and "advised" you — export it, don't just screenshot fragments.
- Record every payment: dates, amounts, sending account, receiving account or wallet address, and reference numbers.
- Save the platform's URL, any documents they sent you (contracts, certificates), and the names and phone numbers used by your contacts.
- Write a short timeline of events while your memory is fresh — first contact, first deposit, when withdrawals stopped working.
Within 48 hours: Report to the authorities
A police report does more than feel procedural — banks and payment providers often require an official report number before they will process a fraud claim, and law-enforcement reports feed the databases used to freeze fraudulent accounts.
- File a report with your national police or cybercrime unit (in Switzerland: the cantonal police; many countries have online fraud-reporting portals).
- Report the platform to your financial regulator — most maintain public warning lists.
- If the scam involved a social-media ad or profile, report it there too; takedowns help establish the pattern.
What not to do
- Don't pay "release fees". Any request for more money to get your money back is the same scam continuing.
- Don't hire the first "recovery service" that contacts you. Victims' details are sold on; unsolicited recovery offers are almost always a second scam. See our guide on spotting fake recovery agents.
- Don't delete anything — even embarrassing messages. Investigators need the full picture.
- Don't blame yourself into inaction. These operations are industrialized and professionally engineered. The shame that stops people reporting is part of the scammers' design.
After the first 48 hours
Once the urgent steps are done, the work shifts to building a documented case: mapping where the money went, engaging the receiving institutions, and pursuing every available restitution channel. That is the stage where a professional case team adds the most value — and where organized evidence from the first 48 hours pays off.
Enlow's case assessment is free, and fees only ever apply to funds actually returned to you. Make a claim or read how the process works.