A familiar second act follows many broker and crypto losses: someone claiming to be a lawyer “from Lyon Laws” (lyon-laws.com) offers to claw the money back. In reports, the pitch includes ID cards, passport scans, talk of a foreign account that must be opened for a fee, and threats of contract penalties if you hesitate. The name may even match a real company somewhere on a public register. That does not mean the person in chat works there.
Genuine solicitors do not cold-message victims on messenger apps with a ready-made recovery package, and they do not demand crypto or wire “deposits” before any court work begins. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies have warned that fake law firms specifically target people who already lost money. Reusing a legitimate firm’s registration details is part of the costume — it makes a reverse search look reassuring until you telephone the number from an official directory, not the number in the chat.
How to check without sending another cent: look up the individual on the bar or law-society register for the jurisdiction they claim; call a publicly listed switchboard you found yourself; ask for a written engagement letter with fees that do not depend on you funding a mystery offshore account. Refuse any “regulator unlock”, tax, or account-opening payment framed as a condition of getting your old deposit back.
Start at Get help for reporting routes. Read Fake recovery before you pay anyone selling a guaranteed clawback.
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.