Civil Fraud and Asset Recovery Lawyers in Edmonton

When your business has been defrauded by an employee, a business partner, a counterparty, or a stranger, Edmonton Law Office helps clients pursue recovery by tracing funds, seeking preservation or freezing orders where available, and advancing civil claims through Alberta’s courts.

Fraud cases are won and lost in the first days and weeks. Funds move, records disappear, and corporate shells multiply. Our civil fraud practice is built for speed: urgent court orders to preserve assets and evidence, followed by methodical litigation to recover your money.

Civil Fraud vs. Criminal Fraud

A criminal prosecution is primarily focused on punishment and the public interest. A civil fraud claim is the victim’s own lawsuit, focused on recovery. A civil fraud claim is your own lawsuit, on the civil standard of proof (balance of probabilities), aimed squarely at recovery: damages, tracing orders, and constructive trusts over what was taken. You can pursue civil recovery whether or not police lay charges, and the two processes can run in parallel.

Claims We Pursue

• Civil fraud and deceit: false statements made knowingly or recklessly that caused you loss
• Fraudulent misrepresentation in business transactions, investments, and sales of businesses or property
• Employee and internal fraud: misappropriation, false invoicing, payroll and procurement schemes
• breach of trust and fiduciary fraud: by directors, partners, agents, and advisors
• Knowing assistance and knowing receipt: claims against third parties who helped move or received the money
• Fraudulent conveyances and preferences: transactions designed to put assets beyond creditors’ reach, attackable under Alberta’s Fraudulent Preferences Act and related law
• Investment and loan fraud: Ponzi-style schemes, fictitious lending opportunities, mortgage fraud, and Ponzi scheme recovery for defrauded investors

The Asset Recovery Toolkit

Alberta courts can grant powerful remedies when fraud is in play, and using them early often determines whether a judgment is collectable:

• Mareva (freezing) orders: freezing the defendant’s assets, sometimes worldwide, before they can be dissipated
• Anton Piller orders: civil search orders permitting the preservation of evidence before it is destroyed
• Norwich orders: compelling banks and other third parties to disclose where the money went
• Tracing and constructive trusts: following funds into bank accounts, property, and the hands of third parties
• Certificates of lis pendens and caveats: tying up real estate bought with stolen funds
• Receiverships: court-appointed officers to take control of companies used as instruments of fraud

Some of these orders may be sought without notice where the evidence and circumstances justify it, and carry strict obligations of full and frank disclosure; they must be done right the first time.

How We Run a Fraud Recovery File

1. Triage (immediately): map what was taken, where it likely went, and what must be frozen or preserved now
2. Urgent relief: freezing, search, and disclosure orders where the evidence supports them
3. Investigation: banking records, corporate searches, land titles, and forensic accounting to build the tracing case
4. Claims: against the fraudster and every solvent party the law reaches: knowing recipients, assisting parties, and, in some cases, negligent enablers
5. Recovery: judgment, enforcement, and negotiated settlements that prioritize actual money over moral victories

Civil Fraud, Financial Crime and Asset Recovery FAQ

I think my bookkeeper has been stealing. What should I do first?

Preserve everything and change access quietly: accounting systems, banking authorities, and email. Do not confront the person before getting advice; tipping them off can trigger asset flight and evidence destruction. Then call us; the first week matters.

The fraudster claims to have no assets. Is it worth suing?

Often, the assets exist but are hidden in spouses’ names, numbered companies, or real estate. Tracing, Norwich disclosure, and fraudulent conveyance claims exist precisely for this. We assess collectability honestly before you spend serious money.

Can I sue the bank or others who handled the money?

Sometimes. Third parties who knowingly assisted the fraud or received its proceeds with knowledge can be liable. These claims are fact-intensive but can transform recovery when the primary fraudster is judgment-proof.

How long do I have to bring a fraud claim?

Generally, two years from when you discovered or ought to have discovered the fraud. The discovery of fraud and concealment can affect limitation-period analysis, but clients should not assume that fraud gives them unlimited time to sue. But waiting destroys recovery prospects regardless of the limitations of the law. Act now.

Move Fast. Recover More.

If you suspect fraud against your business, call the asset recovery and fraud lawyers at Edmonton Law Office at (780) 784-6666 immediately for an initial consultation. The sooner we move, the more there is left to recover.

The information on this page is general legal information and is not legal advice. Every dispute turns on its own facts, contracts, and deadlines. Reading this page or contacting Edmonton Law Office by phone, email, or web form does not create a solicitor-client relationship. Please do not send confidential information until a lawyer at our firm has confirmed in writing that we act for you. Legal deadlines, including limitation periods, may bar your claim if missed; promptly obtain legal advice about your specific situation.