We've given Refundee a new look, learn more.
Refundee recovers £63,000 for celebrity impersonation scam victim
Published September 10, 20260 min read
Amount lost
£63,000
Amount recovered
£63,000
Duration
14 months
Our client saw a video online of a well-known celebrity promoting an investment opportunity, stating they could earn large returns.
They registered their details to find out more and communicated via email with what they believed to be a successful trading company.
They helped our client open an account and stated that they could start small at first, which they received initial returns from. They withdrew the initial profit, which gave them confidence to invest more.
The ‘financial advisor’ persuaded our client to invest increasingly larger deposits, which they could see making profit through the platform.
When our client had accumulated a substantial amount of profit, they wanted to withdraw. The scammers told them that they needed to pay fees in order to withdraw the funds.
Our client, wanting the profit they had earned, paid the fees in order to withdraw. Unfortunately, after paying the fees, the scammers cut all contact, and they couldn’t reach them anymore.
Refundee built the case for recovery
Our client contacted us in an understandable, stressful state. Our team provided support and guidance to reassure them that we might be able to help.
We conducted a thorough investigation to determine what happened and to help them gather the evidence necessary for the claim.
Utilising our experience within UK banking regulations, we submitted a bespoke report to our client’s bank, explaining why they should be refunded.
The bank initially rejected the claim, stating that the client authorised the payment and that there was nothing they could do.
We escalated the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service, who agreed that the bank was at fault and that our client should be repaid.
Result: £63,000 recovered for our client
Summary
A video of a well-known celebrity promoting an investment drew our client into a fake trading platform. An early withdrawal built trust, then scammers demanded fees to release the profit and cut contact. The bank rejected the claim. We escalated to the Financial Ombudsman and recovered £63,000.
New here? We're Refundee.
We help victims of fraud get their money back from their bank. FCA regulated. No win, no fee.
Recent recoveries
Impersonation Scam
Refundee recovers £26,000 for client who fell victim to a Richard Branson impersonation scam
An online advert showing a Richard Branson impersonator promised to teach our client how to trade. After several deposits that appeared to grow, the scammers demanded withdrawal fees our client could not pay. We escalated to the Financial Ombudsman and recovered £26,000 of the £32,000 lost.
Published Date
Impersonation Scam
Refundee recovers £13,000 for HMRC impersonation scam victim
Letters bearing HMRC branding told our client they owed overdue tax and faced criminal proceedings. The phone number led to scammers, who demanded immediate payment or the police would be called. We built the case under APP fraud rules, escalated to the Financial Ombudsman and recovered £13,000.
Published Date
Safe Account Scam
Refundee recovers £43,000 for safe account scam victim
Scammers posing as Lloyds called our client at work, claiming their account had been compromised. Attempted transactions in the banking app backed up the story, so our client moved their money to a so-called safe account. We escalated to the Financial Ombudsman and recovered the full £43,000.
Published Date