Table of Contents
- Trustpilot: Reviews on Trustpilot for Payback Ltd are extremely mixed and polarizing. While some users claim they eventually recovered parts of their funds or had good communication, a significant number of reviews explicitly call Payback Ltd a scam. Claims include:
- Double victimization: people scammed by fraudsters, then by Payback Ltd when seeking recovery.
- Poor service, repeated false promises, long periods with no communication after upfront payments.
- Allegations that many positive reviews are fake and that the company writes their own feedback.
- Reports of cases being closed without any recovery after months or years, despite upfront fees.
- Some users even state: “Scammed twice, once by crypto scammers and then by Payback,” “This company is HOT GARBAGE … one giant scam company,” and “Scumbags that will scam you again.”
- Sitejabber: Ratings fluctuate, but dissatisfaction dominates. Examples:
- 2.8 stars (221 reviews): Most customers are “generally dissatisfied.”
- Frequent customer complaint: paid upfront (often $1,000+) and got nothing back.
- The firm ranks near the bottom (426th) among financial advisory websites.
- Reddit: Multiple Reddit threads strongly warn users that Payback Ltd is a scam, reporting similar stories of empty promises, never receiving funds, and being ghosted after fees are paid.
- External Review Blogs & Forums: Independent blogs and consumer sites document the company’s government shutdowns and legal warnings, noting few if any actual recoveries for clients.
Official Regulatory Flags & Criminal Proceedings
- FBI Action (USA) – The FBI seized the Payback Ltd website as part of a digital asset recovery scam crackdown. The FBI reported that such companies “often charge significant upfront fees and ask for a commission should funds be recovered. These companies use extensive social media advertising, including false reviews, to convince victims of the legitimacy of their services.”
- FCA Warning (UK) – The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority flagged Payback Ltd as a clone firm-an entity pretending to have legal authorization but in fact operating without a license. Victims are explicitly warned not to do business with them.
- ASIC Warning (Australia) – The Australian Securities and Investments Commission issued a warning about fake Payback brands using forged official documents and upfront fees with zero deliveries.
- Company Status (UK) – The official listing for PAYBACK LIMITED (company number 11401638) shows the company was dissolved by compulsory strike-off in January 2021.
Payback Ltd’s Own Claims vs. Reality
- The company advertises “millions” recovered for clients, but there is zero independent evidence supporting this. Most online “testimonials” are suspect, and multiple reviewers and watchdog sites find that real users report no actual returns.
- Legal disclaimers and blacklists on their site do not change the repeated regulatory findings and the prevalence of imposter schemes involving their name.
Community & Social Presence
- No meaningful, verified social media channels with active customer engagement. What few exist are largely ignored or used as vectors for more imposter activity.
- Most active “mentions” are warnings and complaints across Reddit, anti-scam forums, and regulatory websites.
Category | Details / Status |
---|---|
Trustpilot | Highly mixed; large number of scam allegations |
Sitejabber | 2.8 stars; mostly dissatisfied, scam complaints |
Strong warnings; labeled a scam | |
FBI | Site seized; warned as fraudulent |
FCA (UK) | Clone warning; not authorized |
ASIC (Australia) | Fake docs, no affiliation, warned as scam |
Registration | Dissolved; no current legal registration |
Conclusion
Payback Ltd is repeatedly and officially flagged as a predatory fee-charging scam “recovery” operation across multiple countries. Its website was seized by the FBI, it has a clone warning from the UK’s FCA, and its license was dissolved. Real-world user experiences overwhelmingly report zero results, ghosting, and even double victimization.
Any positive claims are overwhelmingly drowned out by accusations of fraud, imposter frauds, and regulatory actions. Avoid this company at all costs if you value your money or your sanity.
Payback Ltd stands out not as a solution, but as a repeat perpetrator of scam victimization. Do not trust, do not pay, do not engage.
Here’s all external resources you can about Payback:
- https://www.trustpilot.com/review/payback.com
- https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.payback.de
- https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/payback.com
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/18f1hui/is_payback_ltd_legitis_it_a_scam/
- https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/payback-ltd.com?page=4
- https://scambrokersreviews.com/other-financial-alerts/payback-ltd-website-has-been-seized-by-the-fbi-and-the-doj/
- https://coingeek.com/fbi-san-diego-seizes-digital-asset-recovery-websites/
- https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/fbi-san-diego-warns-of-cryptocurrency-recovery-websites
- https://www.fca.org.uk/news/warnings/money-back-pay-back-ltd-clone-fca-authorised-firm
- https://www.asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/news-items/alert-money-recovery-scam-using-fake-documents-to-impersonate-asic-www-payback-recovery-com/
- https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/11401638/filing-history
- https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/11401638
- https://www.xapobank.com/en/blog/navigating-crypto-deceptions-understanding-the-fake-payback-ltd-impersonation-scam
- https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2024/05/15/payback-ltd-review-helping-you-recover-your-lost-funds-in-a-scam/
- https://paybackltdscam.com
- https://www.reddit.com/r/CloudMiningPolice/comments/taf00v/has_anyone_used_paybackltdcom_or_a_similar/