How we operate, on the record.
cftrace publishes the legal framework that governs every matter. Clients receive the same documents in their engagement pack — there is nothing internal that contradicts what is here.
cftrace is a private investigative and repatriation bureau. We are not a bank, broker-dealer, payment institution, or law firm. Where regulated activity is required — court filings, freezing orders, escrow custody — that activity is performed by counsel-of-record admitted in the relevant jurisdiction.
Our internal compliance program is modelled on FATF Recommendation 10 (CDD), Recommendation 16 (wire transfers), and the EU 6th AML Directive. We maintain SARs-equivalent reporting where local law applies.
No work is performed without a signed engagement letter. The letter sets the scope, the fee structure, the success-fee cap, the jurisdiction of dispute resolution, and the named partner-grade reviewer.
Either party may terminate the engagement in writing. On termination we return all client materials and provide a final position statement; we do not retain leverage over case files.
Identity verification is required at intake for every individual client and beneficial owner. We collect a government-issued ID, a recent proof of address, and source-of-funds attestation.
Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) and adverse-media screening is performed against industry-standard databases. Sanctioned individuals and sanctioned destination jurisdictions are out of scope and the matter is declined.
All evidence is logged with timestamp, custodian, and hash where applicable. Files are stored encrypted-at-rest in EU/UK data residency. Access is role-based and audited.
We follow ACPO-style chain-of-custody so that material remains admissible if proceedings escalate. Originals are never altered; working copies are derived and labelled.
Repatriated funds flow into client-named escrow accounts maintained by counsel-of-record at regulated banks. cftrace operating accounts never receive client repatriated funds.
We will never ask you to wire ‘release fees’, ‘taxes’, ‘insurance’, or ‘unlock costs’ to a personal account or crypto wallet. That request is the defining marker of secondary-scam fraud — if you receive such a request, alert your case analyst immediately.
Repatriation is matter-by-matter. Outcomes depend on the speed of notification, the jurisdiction of the destination account, counterparty cooperation, and whether the assets remain traceable at the moment we are retained. cftrace commits to a disciplined, lawful, and fully documented process. We do not — and lawfully cannot — guarantee an outcome percentage or a timeline. Any party that does is not operating within a regulated framework.