Van Orton takes down fake asset recovery service
After a month-long investigation, investigators at Van Orton have successfully shut down the operations of the notorious fake recovery service, FinancialOptionsRecovery. The fraudsters behind the service operated multiple websites, mainly financialoptionsrecovery[.]com and financialoptionsrecovery[.]info, and plagued the fraud recovery industry for years. Typical of any other fake recovery service, FinancialOptionsRecovery demanded payments from victims in cryptocurrency by guaranteeing a full recovery of their lost assets.
Van Orton was made aware of their existence through prospective clients and anonymous tips. By our estimates, this fraud group has been operational since early 2022. After re-victimizing them, the fraudsters blackmailed the victims into creating realistic reviews, usually in the form of videos, so they could use those on their website to convince future victims of their legitimacy. Their review manipulation also extended to third-party testimonial services by purchasing fake reviews from vendors who provide services to cybercriminals. Google Ads were abused through fraudulent advertiser accounts to market their services, mimicking legitimate asset recovery companies.
By working with the relevant authorities and third parties, Van Orton was able to destroy their email infrastructure, take down their domains/websites, and cut off their communications with active victims. As of October 1, FinancialOptionsRecovery is no longer operational and will not be able to defraud victims of cybercrime. They were one of the many prominent fake asset recovery services operating in the industry today and it is up to the legitimate services to take action against them to provide a safer market for consumers worldwide.
Van Orton Recovery is an American fraud recovery intelligence firm specializing in cross-border investigations and recoveries. If you were a victim of FinancialOptionsRecovery or any other fake asset recovery service, please contact Van Orton Recovery directly at hello@vanortonrecovery.com or use the button below.
