International Fraud Group

Firm Details:

The International Fraud Group is chaired by Gary Miller a Senior Fraud Partner at Mishcon de Reya.

Firm Overview:

The International Fraud Group (IFG) is an international network of lawyers who are fraud investigation and asset recovery specialists and who are experts in tracing, freezing, seizing and recovering stolen assets, whether physical or digital.

We began when an international bank wanted to instruct the most experienced investigative lawyers practising in each jurisdiction, who shared their asset recovery know-how with each other, who worked relentlessly to recover stolen assets and understood how to manage the risk and costs of international asset recovery. We are those lawyers.

We have 53 member firms over 60 jurisdictions, currently have three international sponsors and 12 professional individuals on our Strategic Advisory Board including ex- Financial Services Commissioner for Jersey, ex- head of Metropolitan Police, CEO of Anti Traffiking Charity and CT Group, Singapore.

The IFG has over 25 years of experience in working together as a team. Our members understand that to do this work we need to be at the very top of our game at all times. Between us we have access to the lawyers, forensic specialists, litigation funders and investigators to assist clients in any location anywhere in the world.

Members are skilled in both civil and criminal aspects of fraud, asset recovery, corruption and enforcement of judgements and are experts in blending civil and criminal remedies to support asset recovery using the proponents of the "Freeze, Seize and Recover" approach to asset recovery i.e using creative multi-jurisdictional pre-action injunctive relief to freeze assets and seize evidence so that clients can eventually recover assets/damages.

We know the key people in all the key prosecutorial and investigatory bodies well to get meaningful responses. We also know which investigation agencies are best suited to a particular job in a particular country or region. We understand the world of covert investigation and can protect and guide both clients and investigators alike. Preparing and executing a multi-site civil search order where we are entering business and residential premises to locate, image, or seize stolen assets or evidence is second nature to us. Compelling third parties such as accountants, fiduciaries, banks, digital currency exchanges and government departments to disclose information about the fraudsters and what they have done with stolen assets is part of our tool kit. Obtaining world-wide freezing orders to secure stolen assets or simply assets belonging to the fraudster is something we do almost with our eyes closed. If we need to prevent a suspect from leaving the jurisdiction before he or she has told or given us what we want, we can get passport delivery up orders. Knowing how to obtain and use these orders in a coordinated international asset recovery campaign which touches multiple jurisdictions and which doesn’t tip off the frauster is something that comes from years of practice and working together as a team.

The IFG has recently widend its footprint in the Middle East alongside hosting its first International Fraud and Asset Recovery conference in Singapore.