Australians who deposited ether into sites that copied genuine exchange brands are being told to wait for a tracing pack before anyone will talk about a refund. The dashboard still shows a balance. That number is not an asset the operator will wire.
Several practices told AXT News they are running waiting lists this month, which is a dull operational detail and a useful filter: a firm that can start tomorrow for anyone is often not doing court work. Legitimate practices do not ask for money upfront, retainers in crypto, gift cards, or a tax to unlock funds. They do not ask for AnyDesk, TeamViewer, seed phrases, or private keys.
What "refund" actually means here
It means following the deposit to a wallet the clone controls, then seeing whether those coins reached a venue a court can tap. Hong Kong-registered forensic analysts at aidataintelligence.io style reports are the exhibit. Without them, a pleading is a letter. Recovery is never automatic. It depends on whether the coins can still be traced to an exchange or a wallet a court can reach, and on the facts of that client's file.
An ETH recovery practice handling Australian clone-exchange files said this week's queue grew after the late-August price bounce, when more people tried to withdraw "profits" and found the button dead. That is a pattern, not a promise. See how crypto recovery works.