What this service does

We examine whether the person you have been talking to is who they claim to be, and document what happened:

forensic analysis of your messages, photos, voice notes, and payment records
a check of the persona's photos, accounts and story
and a written report formatted for bank disputes, IC3 and FBI filings, and civil claims

If you have not sent money yet, we check an online partner's photos and story before you meet or pay.

An honest word on getting money back. Most online "recovery" promises are fiction, and the firms that guarantee it are often a second scam aimed at people already hurt once.

We do not recover lost money. What forensics can actually do is document the loss and the persona well enough that banks, card networks, and law enforcement can act. See our guide to romance-scam recovery for what is and is not realistic.

Engagements are confidential.

Some service tracks are offered at a fixed fee; complex investigations are billed hourly with a clear scope, milestone updates, and a cap agreed up front. Multi-persona or longstanding scams beyond a package are priced in writing before the work starts.

Call (239) 241-8095

Want to know what a phone number or wallet can show? Read what a phone number or wallet can show, and if this just happened, start with the first steps after a scam.

Quinn (Founder and CEO) oversees every engagement and reviews every case before findings leave the practice; the practitioner team executes the technical work under her methodology.

A direct line to Quinn, the founder, not a sales pipeline.
Worked in-house by the examiner who scoped it.
Explainable findings you can verify, with the methodology shown.

What this means for you

Written scope before any work. You see a written scope covering deliverables, timeline, and price, and you approve it before we begin. You are never billed for work you did not authorize.
We commit to findings, not outcomes. We tell you up front what the evidence can and cannot establish. Recovery, attribution, and prosecution are decided by banks, platforms, insurers, and courts. We produce the record they act on, and we put that distinction in writing.
Every case is investigated, not just scanned. A credentialed examiner reviews every case before findings leave the practice. You get a documented investigation with the hashes, method and tool versions recorded, not a single automated scan and a one-line answer.
We will tell you if you do not need us. If a free or simpler step would resolve your situation, whether a police report, an IC3 filing, or a platform's own recovery flow, we point you there first.

How an engagement begins

Confidential consultation. NDA-protected. 30-60 minutes. Direct conversation, no sales process.
Scoped engagement. Written proposal with defined deliverables and pricing, fixed fee where it applies, hourly with milestone caps for open-ended investigations.
Examination and findings. The report records the hash values, the method, the tools and their versions, and the exhibits. Written report you can act on.

We examine only a device you own. Before we start, you sign a form stating that you own it.

If your case involved a crypto investment platform

Romance scams that escalate into crypto deposits on a fake trading platform are a distinct operational pattern called pig butchering (sha zhu pan).

The forensic methodology integrates the romance-scam communication forensics documented on this page with the wallet addresses and transaction records you were given, and IRS theft-loss evidence package required for the crypto-loss layer.

If you sent crypto, the pig butchering page is the more specific fit for your case. Standalone crypto scam recovery covers fake-exchange and investment-token losses without the romance pretext, and when the target is an older family member the elder fraud investigation track applies, because romance-to-elder overlap is common in both directions.

Why this work matters

Quinn holds 9 active certifications across GIAC. This is one track of our private digital forensics for individuals and families.

A confidential, structured engagement.

Confidential Consultation

A direct conversation with Quinn, the founder and CEO who oversees every engagement. NDA-protected. No sales process.

Signed Engagement

The price is fixed by the number of devices. Before any work starts, you sign the agreement and the chain-of-custody form.

Examination and Report

A named examiner works the devices and accounts you sent and writes a report with the hash values, the method, the tools and their versions, and the exhibits.

Frequently asked about romance scam investigation

What does a romance scam investigation look like?

Forensic analysis of the communications you have (chat logs, photos, voice notes, video calls, payment instructions), a check of the persona (reverse-image analysis on photos, account-creation timeline, links across the persona's accounts and others, voice/text linguistic patterns), documentation of where funds were sent (the wallet addresses, transaction hashes, wire-transfer records and gift-card receipts you have), and a written report formatted for bank fraud disputes, IC3 / FBI filings, and civil litigation.

Can you identify the actual person behind the scam?

An examination can show what happened, and when. It often cannot show who was behind it, and we will not tell you it can. Recycled photos and reused accounts can show that a persona is fake. Naming a specific person typically requires law-enforcement subpoena power or international cooperation, and the report documents what you have for the police.

Can you get back the money I sent?

No. We do not recover lost money. We document what happened so your bank, the police and counsel have a clear record for a fraud dispute, a card chargeback, a civil claim or an insurance claim.

How is this different from a chargeback dispute?

A chargeback dispute is your bank's process for reversing a single transaction. A forensic investigation is the broader case file covering what happened, how, what artifacts support the claim, and what other recourse exists beyond the chargeback.

I'm embarrassed about how this happened. Will I be judged?

No. Romance scams are professional operations run by experienced criminals with scripted social-engineering frameworks. The shame is the scammer's, not yours, and the practice doesn't moralize. The first call is a clinical conversation about facts: what happened, when, how. Confidentiality is real (NDA-protected), and we don't share case details with anyone outside the engagement without your written consent.

What does it cost, and can I pay over time?

A device examination is a fixed price set by the number of devices: one, two to three, or four to five. Each price includes a set number of examiner hours. You can start with one device, and you can ask about paying over time. You see your exact price before you sign.

Where are you, and do I have to send my phone?

We are based in Naples, Florida, and examine devices in Naples and in California. Before any work starts you sign one page: the agreement and the chain-of-custody form. The agreement you sign explains how to hand over or ship your device.

What if the examination finds nothing?

We do not promise a result. You get a written report on completion covering each device and each account you sent, whatever it shows.

Can you show who did it?

An examination can show what happened on a device or account, and when. It often cannot show who was behind it, and we will not tell you it can.

Will police, a court or my lawyer take it seriously?

We cannot promise how police, a court or a lawyer will treat the report. We can tell you what it contains: the hash values, the method, the tools and their versions, and the exhibits.

What happens next, and how long does it take?

You sign the engagement letter, and your card is charged when you sign. Most examinations are finished one to two weeks after you sign, provided your devices reach us promptly. If you need it sooner, ask us to rush it.

Is this a person or an AI?

This line is answered by the SleuthX team, and by the SleuthX assistant, an AI, when the team cannot pick up. A named examiner examines your device and signs the report.

Whose device can you examine?

We examine only a device you own. Before we start, you sign a form stating that you own it. If that statement is false, the evidence can become unusable in court.

Romance Scam and Catfish Investigation