Asset Recovery

Asset recovery encompasses the range of civil and criminal tools used to locate and reclaim assets extracted by fraud, corruption, or other financial crime. Tracing is the forensic process of following the money through bank accounts, corporate entities, and jurisdictions. Once traced, assets can be frozen by a court injunction (a freezing order, formerly called a Mareva injunction in UK law) to prevent dissipation before judgment.

Civil asset recovery is often pursued in parallel with criminal proceedings. A victim or their lawyers can apply for a worldwide freezing order, a proprietary injunction (asserting the victim still owns the funds), or a disclosure order requiring third parties (such as banks) to reveal information about the assets. Non-Conviction Based (NCB) asset recovery — such as civil forfeiture or Unexplained Wealth Orders in the UK — allows assets to be seized without a criminal conviction.

The practical reality for most individual scam victims is that cross-border asset recovery is expensive, complex, and often yields little. Professional asset-recovery companies exist but charge substantial fees and have mixed track records; victims should scrutinise any such firm carefully and be aware that 'recovery room' fraudsters pose as legitimate asset-recovery services.