Reader reports describe a familiar relay: first a bank or “European supervision” voice, then someone claiming to represent the European Central Bank (ECB) or a related EU financial watchdog. The story is that your earlier trading losses can be recovered — or that an investigation requires you to move money into a protected account. Several people may call in sequence. The pressure is social as much as legal.
The ECB’s own fraud notice is blunt. Staff do not cold-call the public to recover scam losses, collect bitcoin “deposits”, or run commercial online banking. Genuine ECB email ends in @ecb.europa.eu or @ecb.int; even that can be spoofed, so domain tricks are not a green light. Phone numbers that look official are often cloned.
A law firm letterhead in the middle of the chain does not fix the pattern. Real supervisors do not appoint random messaging-app counsel to take a prepaid “procedure fee” in crypto. If you have already paid, stop — further “tax”, “insurance” or “consular” top-ups are usually the same fraud wearing a new badge.
Verify any claim on the institution’s official website yourself. Report the contact to local police and use your bank’s fraud desk for transfers that can still be challenged.
Start at Get help. Before paying anyone who promises a clawback, read Fake recovery.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal or financial advice. Details change. If you have lost money, contact your bank or card issuer and use the routes on the help pages.