Question 1

Can you get my money back?

Accepted Answer

No, and anyone who promises otherwise should be treated with suspicion. TraceNOW produces intelligence and evidence. Recovery itself happens through banks, exchange compliance teams, regulators, courts or law enforcement, and it depends on where the funds ended up and how quickly the case reaches the right desk. What we can do is give those parties something concrete to act on, which is usually the missing piece.

Question 2

How long does an investigation take?

Accepted Answer

Triage comes back within 24 hours. A standard blockchain trace is typically delivered in three to five working days. Cases involving multiple jurisdictions, bank rails, dozens of counterparties or extensive OSINT attribution usually take ten to fifteen working days. If a freeze window is still open, we escalate that part immediately rather than waiting for the full report.

Question 3

What information do I need to provide?

Accepted Answer

Whatever you have. A transaction hash or wallet address is ideal for crypto cases; for bank or card cases, statements and payment references. Chat logs, emails, the platform URL, the names used, phone numbers and screenshots all add value. If you are missing something, say so, gaps are normal and we work with what exists.

Question 4

Is my case too small, or too old?

Accepted Answer

Small cases are often worth tracing because they connect to larger clusters, and that connection can matter to you and to other victims. Age is the bigger constraint: blockchain records are permanent, but freeze windows close and exchanges rotate their data retention. We will tell you at triage if we think time has removed the realistic options.

Question 5

How do you protect my data?

Accepted Answer

Intake is encrypted in transit and at rest, access is limited to the analyst assigned to your case, and case data is retained only as long as our legal and evidential obligations require before secure deletion. We are registered under UK GDPR and process EU personal data under the GDPR. Full detail is in our Privacy Policy.

Question 6

Do you work with lawyers and law enforcement?

Accepted Answer

Regularly. Around a third of our work arrives through law firms and insolvency practitioners, and our reports are structured for exactly that audience. If you already have counsel or a police reference number, tell us at intake. It changes how we format the deliverable and who we address it to.