Romance scam and pig butchering: assessing your claims, tracing the payments
First the relationship, then the “once-only opportunity” — and now the money is gone? We trace the payment routes and assess your claims.
Have your case checked — free, in 3 steps
You do not have to justify yourself to us. This is run by organised groups and it reaches people of every age and every level of education.
- No guarantee of success
- No cold calling
- Transparent costs
- Confidential & GDPR-compliant
Getting money back after a romance scam — is it possible?
In short
That depends on how you paid, not on how the contact began. A SEPA transfer lands on a recipient account at an identifiable institution, a card payment reaches a regulated acquirer, and a crypto transfer usually ends up at an exchange that identifies its customers — real entities the law can reach. What matters most is speed: the earlier preservation measures start, the better the prospect of securing assets.
Having trusted the person is not a legal disadvantage — that trust is precisely what makes the sequence fraud. Blanket assurances about the outcome would still be unsound; what holds in your case is something we establish concretely.
The pattern
How a romance scam runs
The sequence is standardised, often scripted and divided between several operators. Knowing it also shows where the law can be applied.
The approach
A message on a dating app, on Instagram, or seemingly by accident on WhatsApp. The profile looks real, usually built from photographs stolen from a real person.
The relationship
Weeks or months of daily contact, genuine attention, shared plans. No money is asked for in this phase — it is the actual work the operation invests.
The opportunity
A “private” crypto or trading platform comes up in passing. A small deposit appears to return a profit, and a first withdrawal even goes through.
The fattening
The amounts rise and the displayed portfolio grows. “Pig butchering” is the operators’ own name for this phase: the victim is fattened before slaughter.
The block
At the large withdrawal, fees, “taxes” or compliance conditions appear. Each payment is presented as the last one. Then the contact ends.
What it turns on
The foothold is not the person — it is the money
The name in the chat is invented, the profile picture almost always belongs to an uninvolved person, and the account is long deleted. That is the experience people bring to us — and the reason many assume there is nothing to pursue.
Legally, though, the invented identity is not the point of attack. The money is. And money leaves a trail that runs through regulated institutions:
- SEPA transfers: the recipient account belongs to an institution obliged to identify its customers. Where the funds went from there is reachable through the investigation.
- Card payments: acquirers and payment service providers in regulated markets stand behind the payment. Depending on the sequence and timing, separate routes come into consideration.
- Crypto transfers: the blockchain forgets nothing. Where coins reach an exchange that identifies its customers, investigating authorities can obtain disclosure and have balances secured (§§ 73 ff. StGB); access to the file under § 406e StPO feeds that into the civil claim.
Many victims used several of these routes without remembering it that way. Assembling the records is therefore the first substantive step — and it is why whatever you have to hand is enough for the initial assessment.
Legal basis
The grounds a claim can be built on
That the contact began on a dating app changes nothing about the legal position: fraud remains fraud, and unlicensed financial business remains unlicensed. Which of the following grounds holds in your case depends on the facts.
§ 263 StGB — fraud
Building the relationship is part of the deception, not a private circumstance beside it. The criminal investigation opens up disclosure and preservation measures that civil proceedings alone cannot reach.
§ 823(2) BGB — damages
Breaching a protective statute — § 263 StGB, or the licensing requirement in § 32 KWG — creates liability in damages. That reaches platform operators and payment intermediaries too.
§ 826 BGB — intentional damage
Covers the people behind the operation who knowingly supported the scheme, even if they never wrote to you.
§ 32 KWG — no licence
The “platform” from the chat almost never holds a BaFin licence. That is an independent foothold for liability, regardless of how the contact came about.
§ 406e StPO — access to the file
As representatives of the injured party we obtain access to the investigation file — often the only source of recipient accounts, exchange KYC data and identified participants.
§§ 675u, 675v BGB — payment services law
Where payments were unauthorised or manipulated, claims against the payment service providers come into consideration. Whether that holds depends on the route the money took.
How we proceed
What we do for you
- 01
Free initial assessment
You tell us what happened — bullet points are enough. We review the payment routes, the chats and the platform names and say plainly which steps have a prospect of success and which do not.
- 02
Reconstructing the payment routes
SEPA transfer, card payment, crypto transfer or a combination: each has its own footholds. We order the records and establish where the money touched a regulated institution.
- 03
Complaint and preservation
We prepare a substantiated criminal complaint and press early for preservation measures — with investigating authorities, banks, payment providers and exchanges.
- 04
Asserting claims
Against identified participants, platform operators and, where applicable, payment service providers — out of court and in court.
An honest assessment
What we cannot promise you
Whether assets can be reached is decided by the money trail, and it has often already moved on. Nobody can assure you of repayment. Anyone who promises exactly that after a romance scam is, as a rule, setting up to harm you a second time.
- No guarantee of success
- Reputable legal work comes without guarantees. We tell you honestly which steps stand a chance in your case — and which do not.
- No cold calling
- We never contact fraud victims unsolicited. Anyone who calls you out of the blue promising to recover your money is very likely a fraudster themselves.
- Transparent costs
- Fees follow clear rules — the German statutory fee scale (RVG) or a written agreement — and are explained before any work begins. No hidden upfront charges.
- Confidential & GDPR-compliant
- Your information is treated confidentially and processed exclusively within the EU.
Frequently asked
Romance scams — frequently asked questions
What is a romance scam, and how does pig butchering relate to it?
In a romance scam, the operators build a romantic or close friendship over weeks or months and then use that trust for financial demands. “Pig butchering” is the name for the variant in which the trust is deliberately channelled into a supposed crypto or trading investment: the victim is “fattened” by depositing rising amounts and watching a portfolio grow, and the withdrawal is then refused. Both are fraud within the meaning of § 263 StGB — building the relationship is part of the deception.
I feel ashamed. Do I have to tell you everything?
You do not have to justify yourself to us. For the legal assessment we mainly need the payment routes and the platform names; how much you write about the personal side is your decision. In our experience the chat history does help, because it documents the sequence and what you were promised. Anything you tell us is covered by legal professional privilege.
I paid by bank transfer, not in crypto — does that help?
Often yes, and it is usually the better starting point. A SEPA transfer arrives at a recipient account held with an identifiable institution, which is a tangible foothold a crypto payment does not offer in the same way. For card payments, further routes come into consideration depending on the sequence. Many victims used both — then we examine both strands.
The person probably does not exist. Is a criminal complaint worth anything?
The profile photograph almost always belongs to an uninvolved person and the name is invented. There is still something to work from — not the invented identity, but the money trail: recipient accounts, platform operators, payment providers and exchanges are real, regulated entities. That is exactly where an investigation and access to the file bite. It is not a guarantee of any outcome, but it is the route that has a prospect at all.
How quickly do I need to act?
As quickly as possible. While funds are still sitting on a recipient account or an exchange that identifies its customers, there is a prospect of preservation; once they have been moved on it becomes considerably harder. Separately, the standard limitation period is three years (§§ 195, 199 BGB) — but the practical window is usually much shorter than the limitation period.
What does legal help cost?
The initial assessment is free of charge and without obligation. After that we bill under the German Lawyers’ Remuneration Act (RVG) or on the basis of a fee agreement discussed in advance; the statutory amounts are set out as a table on our fees page. We check any legal-expenses policy for cover. We strongly advise against providers who demand payment up front for a supposed recovery.
Free initial assessment
Describe your case — free initial assessment
Bullet points are enough. You will get an assessment of which steps come into consideration in your case — free and without obligation.
Free and without obligation. Costs only arise if you expressly instruct us afterwards — the fee under the RVG or a written fee agreement is discussed with you in advance. If you hold legal expenses insurance, we check the cover for you.
Who we can act for
We are admitted in Germany and act under German law. We can normally help when at least one of these is true: you live in Germany, you paid from a bank or exchange account in Germany or the EU, or a company, bank or payment provider involved is based here. For people in Austria or Switzerland we can act where the case has a connection to Germany or the EU — a bank, a payment provider or a party based here. If none applies, say so in your enquiry — we will tell you plainly whether we can act.
Your next step
Have your case assessed, free of charge
The name of the platform and your payment records are enough to start. We tell you where the law offers a foothold — and where it does not.
Free and without obligation. Costs only arise if you expressly instruct us afterwards — the fee under the RVG or a written fee agreement is discussed with you in advance. If you hold legal expenses insurance, we check the cover for you.
No guarantee of success — but a clear assessment. Your data is never passed on and is processed exclusively within the EU.
- 01You describe your case — online or by phone
- 02We get back to you promptly
- 03You receive an initial assessment — free and without obligation