“Managed accounts” and “copy trading” are legitimate ideas that scammers love to borrow. When a stranger offers to trade on your behalf for a share of profits, the risk is rarely the market — it is whether the platform is real at all.
Reported operator: Tradex.live · Location: Manchester, United Kingdom · Reported loss: £62,500
Timeline to resolution: 3 months · Outcome: 44% of traced funds returned
How it started
David was contacted on a professional network by someone claiming to run a “managed crypto portfolio” through Tradex.live. After a convincing call and a small test withdrawal that actually worked, he committed £62,500 over two months.
The moment it unravelled
The early withdrawal is a classic trust-building move. Once the larger balance was in, the “manager” went quiet, the login stopped working, and a new “compliance officer” appeared asking for verification fees. We see this exact sequence repeatedly.
“The one small withdrawal at the start is what convinced me it was safe. I felt stupid afterwards, but they were professionals at this. Having a real report in plain English finally let me push back with my bank.”
— D. Whitfield, Manchester
What we did
We reconstructed the full deposit history, separated David’s funds from those of other victims pooled in the same wallet, and produced a chargeback-ready evidence pack. His bank reopened the case on the strength of the documentation.
The outcome
About 44% was recovered over three months — a partial result. A chunk had been cashed out through a non-cooperative exchange, which limited how much could be clawed back. We were honest with David about that ceiling from week one.
What you can take from this
- A successful small withdrawal proves nothing about a platform’s honesty.
- “Verification” or “compliance” fees after deposit are a scam signature.
- Pooled-victim wallets can be untangled — but it needs forensic separation, not guesswork.
If you have been affected by Tradex.live or a platform that behaves the same way, you can request a free case review. We will look at the evidence and tell you honestly whether your case is worth pursuing — recovery is never guaranteed, but knowing where your funds went is the first real step.