Jane (name changed), a resident of Hong Kong, fell victim to a common scam targeting job seekers: fake e-commerce tasks promising easy earnings. After depositing tens of thousands of dollars, she discovered the scheme was fraudulent and lost most of her savings.
Desperate to get her money back, Jane searched online and was soon contacted by someone claiming to be a lawyer who could help her recover her funds. The “lawyer” told her that her money had been traced to a website called WEBE3 (hosted at infiniterail.xyz), and to retrieve it, she needed to pay additional fees.
The scammer sent this image to Jane, falsely claiming her stolen money was on the "WEBE3" platform — a tactic to trick her into paying more fees.
The website showed fake transaction records and wallet addresses, designed to look legitimate. Jane was pressured to pay more money to unlock the funds — a classic recovery scam tactic.
Figure 2. A screenshot shared by the victim showing a fake Telegram account impersonating GASO.
Luckily, before losing more money, Jane reached out to us to verify. We confirmed:
GASO does not provide legal recovery services and advertise on public.
The Telegram account contacting her was not affiliated with GASO.
The website and lawyer were part of a recovery scam aimed at exploiting scam victims.
What Victims Need to Know About Legal Recovery
Jurisdiction Matters
If you transfer money from a Hong Kong bank to a bank account in another country — say, Canada — the legal case will usually need to be pursued in the country where the receiving account is held. This is because that jurisdiction controls the bank where the money currently is.
For example, if Jane’s money ended up in a Canadian account, she would need to hire a Canadian lawyer and possibly file a civil suit in Canada. Hong Kong courts cannot directly access or freeze funds in foreign banks without international cooperation, which is slow and complicated.
Legal Action Is Costly and Complex
Even in your home country, suing to recover stolen money can be expensive and uncertain. Cross-border lawsuits involving cryptocurrencies like USDT are even more complicated because:
Many lawyers lack crypto expertise and must hire specialists.
Court procedures are still adapting to digital asset cases.
Recovery is not guaranteed, and legal fees can exceed lost amounts.
Why Recovery Scams Are Dangerous
Recovery scammers target victims when they are most vulnerable, promising quick and easy returns. They:
Demand upfront fees to “unlock” or “recover” your funds.
In reality, only law enforcement agencies can trace stolen funds, and they do not charge victims to recover money.
Spotting a Fake Recovery Website
The scam website infiniterail.xyz was registered in January 2025, uses a suspicious “.xyz” domain (commonly preferred by scammers), and lacks any official or verifiable credentials. These are all warning signs.
Victims should always check domain registration details on services like Whois.com. Most fraudulent websites:
Are only registered for 1 year (a red flag),
Use uncommon or cheap domain extensions (like .xyz, .top, .live),
Have no contact information, legal disclaimers, or real company verification.
If a website claims to “hold your stolen funds,” think twice — only law enforcement can trace or freeze stolen assets, not random third-party websites.
GASO’s Message to Victims
Be cautious of anyone contacting you unsolicited claiming to help recover funds.
Never pay fees to “unlock” stolen money.
Always verify with official channels before trusting anyone.
Jane’s story is a cautionary tale: the pain of losing money to a scam is often compounded by falling into a recovery scam. We urge victims to be vigilant, do thorough research, and seek help only from trusted sources.
If you encounter suspicious claims or fake recovery offers using GASO’s name, report them to us immediately at www.globalantiscam.org.
Stay alert. Stay informed. Don’t fall for the second scam.
