The London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) is a respected private arbitration institution. It is not a state court that suddenly discovers you after a broker scam and posts a cheque. LCIA cases start when the parties already agreed to arbitrate under its rules. Nobody competent wakes a stranger with a PDF “judgment” and a crypto invoice.
Yet recovery crews keep dressing themselves in LCIA letterhead. Victims are shown awards naming invented “arbitrators” — names such as Alex Kohen or Entony Greene circulate in complaints — and told the broker’s money is ready once a tax, apostille, insurance, transfer code or “release” fee is paid. Payment instructions point to personal cards, random companies or wallets. Email often comes from free webmail or a lookalike domain, and the helper forbids you from ringing the real secretariat.
A short verification beats any urgent PDF. Open a fresh browser tab, go to the official LCIA site (lcia.org), and use contact details published there — not the ones in the message. Ask whether a case exists under the number on the document. If the pitch guarantees recovery and needs money before funds arrive, you are not in a court process; you are in an advance-fee sequel to the first loss. The same pattern appears with fake ICC papers and invented “international tribunals”.
Do not pay the unlock fee. Keep copies of the documents and chats. Report through the channels on Get help, and treat any new “lawyer” who appeared unsolicited as Fake recovery until proven otherwise.
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.