If you are reading this in the first 72 hours after sending a deposit that has gone silent, this guide is for you. Speed matters more than anything else — most recovery options have hard time windows, and the money moves through correspondent banks fast. Here is the action sequence, in priority order, with realistic recovery odds based on 2024–2026 SourcingShield case data.
Do not threaten the supplier or post publicly yet. Both behaviors trigger the scammer to liquidate the receiving account faster. Quietly execute the steps below first.
Hour 0–6: Stop the wire if you still can
- Call your bank's wire department immediately and request a 'recall' of the wire. If the funds have not yet been credited to the beneficiary account, recall succeeds in roughly 40% of cases.
- Once the wire has cleared (typically 1–3 business days for USD wires to HK/CN), recall drops to under 5%.
- Get the recall request in writing — email, not just phone. You will need this for the next steps.
Hour 6–48: File the platform dispute
If you paid via Alibaba Trade Assurance, file a dispute in the platform within 30 days of the agreed delivery date. Recovery rate via Trade Assurance: roughly 60–70% when filed on time with complete evidence (chat logs, PI, payment proof). If you paid by TT outside Trade Assurance, this path is closed — skip to the next section.
- Export the entire Alibaba TradeManager chat history.
- Save the Proforma Invoice (PI), payment confirmation, and any product specifications.
- Document every promise made about delivery date, quality, and refunds.
Day 2–7: PSB (Public Security Bureau) report
Chinese banks will not freeze a scammer's account on a foreigner's word — they need a case number from the PSB in the city where the receiving bank is registered. Options:
- Hire a Chinese lawyer (~$1,500–3,000 retainer) who can file the PSB report on your behalf. This is the most effective path for losses over $5,000.
- Use the SourcingShield assisted-recovery service to coordinate with a local lawyer.
- DIY via 110.gov.cn online reporting — possible, but rarely effective without Chinese-language follow-up.
PSB-led recovery succeeds in roughly 15–25% of cases when filed within 2 weeks and the receiving bank still has funds. After 30 days, success rate drops below 5%.
Week 1–2: Chargeback if you paid by card or PayPal
Credit card chargebacks under MasterCard/Visa rules give you 120 days to dispute 'goods not received.' Success rate: ~70%. PayPal Buyer Protection: 180 days, also ~70% when documentation is complete. This is the highest-success recovery path — which is why scammers push you to TT wires.
Week 2–4: Civil suit (for larger losses)
For losses above $20,000, a civil suit in the Chinese court system is realistic. Cost: $5,000–15,000 in legal fees plus translation. Timeline: 6–18 months. Recovery odds: 30–50% if the defendant company still has assets. Below $20,000 the math rarely works.
What does NOT work
- 'Recovery agents' who DM you on LinkedIn or Telegram promising to retrieve funds for a 30% fee — this is itself a scam.
- Posting on Reddit / Twitter naming the supplier — feels cathartic, helps zero recovery, exposes you to defamation risk under Chinese law.
- Hiring a debt collector in your home country — they have no enforcement power in China.
The most important step: prevent the next one
85% of buyers in our database who lose money to a Chinese supplier scam lose money to a second scam within 18 months — typically through over-correction (over-trusting an 'introducer' or 'verified middleman' who turns out to be the next scammer). Before your next supplier, run a SourcingShield risk check, get a third-party factory audit, and stage payments through Trade Assurance or escrow. The patterns repeat; the defenses work.