Situations People Actually Bring to Us

What people actually face, and what they can do next

Situations differ more than the marketing pages suggest. A card payment disputed within days looks nothing like a bank transfer sent six weeks ago to an account that has since gone quiet. Below are the cases we see most often, with the practical detail that matters: what happened, what evidence usually survives, and which route is worth trying first.

Card deposit to a broker that stopped answering

The platform ran for months, withdrawals worked at first, then support went silent and the dashboard froze. Card payments usually carry the clearest dispute window, so the issuer is the first call. Keep the transaction reference, the account statements, and the chat history where the manager promised a payout date.

Compare dispute routes by payment method

Bank transfer sent after a "tax release" request

A second payment was made because the platform said funds were held pending a tax prepayment. Transfers are harder to reverse than card payments and depend on the receiving bank's cooperation. Preserve the transfer confirmation, the written request for the fee, and any invoice or reference number attached to it.

Why extra deposit requests keep appearing

Small test withdrawal that cleared, then a large deposit

This is the most common sequence. A modest withdrawal succeeds, trust goes up, and the next deposit is several times larger. That first payout is a scripted step, not a signal of legitimacy. Note the dates of both transactions and the messages that arrived between them.

How fake platforms build trust early

Money sent to a personal account, not the platform

The manager asked for payment to an individual's account or a third-party processor instead of the broker's own details. This weakens the link between the payment and the platform, which complicates any later dispute. Save the payment instructions exactly as they were given to you.

Talk through your situation with us

Which route fits your situation, and why this one holds up

Most people arrive here after a withdrawal stopped working. Below are the situations we see most often, what makes each one different from the usual advice, and where the practical limits sit.

Card payment, still inside the dispute window If the deposit went through a debit or credit card, the card issuer's dispute process is the route with the clearest rules. Unlike a bank transfer recall, it runs on defined reason codes and a fixed filing deadline, and the issuer is obligated to respond. What we do differently here is map your transaction history to the correct reason code before anything is submitted, so the claim is not rejected on a technicality in the first week.

Bank transfer or SEPA payment Transfers are harder. There is no formal chargeback right, only a recall request that depends on the receiving bank's willingness to cooperate. We are upfront about that instead of promising a recovery. What helps is speed and documentation: the sooner the receiving bank is contacted with a complete file, the better the odds the funds are still sitting in the account.

Money sent in several instalments Scam platforms rarely take one payment. They take a first deposit, then a tax, then a release fee. Each transfer is a separate dispute with its own date and its own evidence. We treat them separately rather than bundling them into one claim, because a single weak instalment can drag down the stronger ones.

You already paid a "release fee" This is the point where most people realise something is wrong. The fee itself is often the most disputable payment, because it was requested under a false premise and usually went to a different merchant than the original deposit. We look at where each payment actually landed, not where the platform said it would.

Crypto or irreversible transfer We will tell you plainly when a route does not exist. On-chain transfers cannot be reversed by a bank or a card network. In those cases the useful work is documentation and reporting, not a chargeback claim, and we say so rather than taking a case we cannot move.

You are not sure what you have Many people cannot remember which card or account was used, or have statements spread across two banks. Start with the evidence checklist before choosing a route. Getting the payment method right matters more than filing quickly, and it costs nothing to check first.

Not sure which of these applies? Compare the payment routes in detail on our solutions overview, or read how the dispute windows differ on the plans page.