I have been defrauded of a lot of money in a share trading…

Good Afternoon

It is not uncommon for lawyers to ask for money upfront.

Law firms can charge what they want and they have to advise you of their charges.

$1,000.00 AUD is alot of money and depending on the firm and the position of the lawyer that will do the work is how is it calculated.

Larger firms in Sydney have partners that charge just under that. I cannot comment on what HK firms charge./

They are correct it is out of their jurisdiction. the AFP deal with fraud in australia.

As the accounts are in HK, then the HK police are the ones that have jurisdiction and you have to give them a detailed statement and if they believe there is enough for them to investigate then they will.

The police have to investigate and they take their time.

I cannot tell when you sent the complaint.

But they will not finalise it immediately.

These investigations can take years to chase up.

If you are not happy with their progress you can take it to the next level and seek the commissioner intervene.

Good Afternoon

5 months is not unreasonable for such an investigation.

They take time and anything up to 12 months would not be unreasonable.

But you cannot hold too much hope in getting your money back. In most cases the fraudsters have no money and they would go to jail and you lose your money.