Methodology

The boring version of recovery, written down.

Most cases we accept follow the same four stages. The work that happens inside each stage is unglamorous, methodical and largely invisible to the outside world — which is precisely why it works.

Stage one

Intake interview

The first call is 30 minutes. We work through a structured set of questions: when the transfers began, who initiated contact, which platforms and rails were used, what regulatory disclosures were made (or weren't), and what correspondence still exists.

By the end of the call we tell you one of three things: (a) the case has a clear recovery route and we'd like to take it on, (b) the case is borderline and needs a paid evidence audit before we commit either way, or (c) the case has no realistic path and we explain why.

Plainly stated: roughly one in three callers gets answer (c). We would rather tell you "no" up front than collect a retainer for work that cannot succeed.

A private consultation room used for intake calls

Stage two

Evidence audit

Once we take the case on, you receive a secure intake portal with a list of items we need: bank statements covering the period, card statements, broker portal exports, KYC documents, screenshots of in-app chats, emails, and any wallet addresses or transaction hashes if crypto is involved.

We read all of it. The deliverable from this stage is a chronology document — every transaction, every counterparty, every contact event placed on a timeline. That document is the foundation of everything that follows.

Transaction listing reconciled against bank and platform records
Counter-party identification (legal entity, registration jurisdiction, prior aliases)
Communication timeline reconstructed from chats, emails and call logs
On-chain tracing where applicable, terminating at the off-ramp exchange

Forensic chart review at the Vista Reclaim office

Stage three

Case file drafted

The file consists of a covering submission letter, the chronology, the exhibit pack and — for card disputes — a recommended Visa or Mastercard reason code with the supporting facts mapped against it. For bank APP-fraud complaints we use the format the receiving bank expects under the CRM code or the PSR's reimbursement framework.

You see the draft before it goes anywhere. We invite your corrections. Nothing is filed without your written approval.

Case file documents being reviewed on a desk

Stage four

Submission, follow-up, closure

The file goes to the correct receiving institution. For card disputes that is your issuer's chargeback team. For wire recalls, the originating bank. For APP-fraud, the sending bank's fraud team, with escalation routes to the Financial Ombudsman Service if a response stalls.

We keep the dialogue open. We respond to merchant rebuttals where they appear. We chase response windows. And when the case closes — favourably or not — we send you a closure note explaining what happened and why.

What we will not do: we will not promise outcomes, name a recovery percentage in marketing material, or take a case where the realistic answer is no.

An abstract roadmap representing the four-stage Vista Reclaim process

Next step

Book the intake call.

Thirty minutes, no charge, no obligation. You will leave with a clear answer.

Open the intake form