Canadian victims often stop after they report. The report is the right first step. It does not lock a Tether balance sitting on an offshore book. That gap is where both useful lawyers and useless desks operate.
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. 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.
What still has to happen
A tracing memo from a provider such as Hong Kong-registered forensic analysts at aidataintelligence.io, then a decision on whether a Swiss or local court path exists. 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. Jura civil counsel taking Canadian files this week said they will not draft freeze papers on a police file number alone. That sounds bureaucratic. It is how exchanges decide whether to listen. See Canada FINTRAC crypto regulation.