Countervail helps businesses, nonprofits, and individuals recover from financially motivated cybercrime, including ransomware, business email compromise, wire fraud, and cryptocurrency scams. We pair enterprise incident response experience with Washington State investigative authority. Every call and intake goes to a licensed investigator. No chatbots, no call center.
Washington State licensed, bonded & insured · Veteran-owned · We coordinate with the FBI, CISA, local law enforcement, banks, and cyber insurers
What we recover from
Financially motivated crime, from first call to final report
Ransomware & extortion
We preserve evidence, report to the FBI and CISA, work alongside your IT provider and cyber insurer, find out how the attackers got in, and trace any ransom payment. Restoring your systems stays with your IT team; we handle the crime.
Business email compromise & wire fraud
Spoofed vendor and executive emails redirect payments. We push the bank recall, file with IC3 fast, follow the money, and document exactly where controls failed.
Investment, romance & crypto scams
We trace funds across accounts, exchanges, and the blockchain, support your criminal reports, attribute those responsible where the evidence allows, and identify where platforms failed their compliance obligations.
Account takeover & identity theft
Hijacked email, drained retirement accounts, unauthorized transfers. We help you lock it down, document the fraud, and press financial institutions to make it right.
How we respond
The first hours decide what can be frozen, recalled, and proven
Our investigators work every front at once: containment and evidence, bank recalls and IC3 reports, the money trail, and the record your bank, insurer, attorney, and law enforcement need to act. When you need legal advice, we refer you to a trusted attorney from our network.
Every engagement ends with a documented findings report. Recovery is never guaranteed, but our findings have helped clients get stolen funds back, including a full reimbursement after more than $40,000 was taken from a client’s IRA.
“Over $40,000 was stolen from my IRA… Countervail’s agent was able to pinpoint my financial institution’s multiple vulnerabilities and security lapses. With this detailed information, my attorney was able to write a letter that made it completely clear that my financial institution’s best recourse was to fully reimburse my loss, which they did.”
Jon M., Google review
Get help
Three ways in
Countervail Watch members
Included
Call or text your investigator at (509) 393-0896. Business members get licensed response to financially motivated crime, including ransomware; individual members get Fraud & Scam Recovery at no charge if targeted after joining.
Fraud & Scam Recovery
$1,500 flat fee
For investment, romance, impersonation, and cryptocurrency fraud. We trace the money, support your criminal reports, and identify where banks, exchanges, or platforms failed. See the terms.
Private investigation
$1,500 retainer
For ransomware, extortion, and other matters that need a full licensed investigation, including work for attorneys and organizations. Tell us what happened and we reply with a written scope.
Questions
Ransomware and fraud recovery FAQ
Will I talk to a real person?
Yes. Every call, text, email, and intake goes to a licensed investigator at Countervail. We don’t use chatbots or a call center. Call or text (509) 393-0896, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 Pacific.
What should we do in the first hour of a ransomware attack?
Isolate affected machines from the network without powering them off, call your IT provider and cyber insurer, and preserve logs and the ransom note. Then call us. We coordinate the FBI and CISA reports, the investigation, and the decisions that follow.
Should we pay the ransom?
That decision belongs to you, your insurer, and your attorney. The FBI discourages paying, payment does not guarantee you get your data back, and paying certain groups can carry U.S. sanctions risk. We give you the facts to decide and make sure the incident is reported properly.
Can you recover money lost to business email compromise or wire fraud?
Sometimes, and speed matters most. Fast bank recalls and IC3 reports give the best chance to freeze funds. Recovery is never guaranteed, but our findings have helped clients recover stolen funds.
Can you trace stolen cryptocurrency?
Yes. We trace funds across wallets and exchanges and document where they landed, which supports law enforcement and exchange freeze requests. Be wary of anyone who promises crypto recovery for an upfront fee; that is a common follow-on scam.
Do you replace our IT provider or incident response firm?
No, we complement them. Your IT team handles containment and restoring systems. We handle the investigation, evidence, reporting, money trail, and accountability.
Who do you work with during an incident?
The FBI, CISA, local law enforcement, financial institutions, cryptocurrency exchanges, cyber insurers, IT providers, and trusted attorneys from our network.
Business hours are Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 Pacific, excluding holidays. Requests received during business hours get a response the same business day; evenings, weekends, and holidays are handled the next business day. If money just moved, call your bank’s fraud line and file at ic3.gov right away. If anyone is in physical danger, call 911. Countervail is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.