• Financial Crimes Network
  • Curtis Novy, Founder

Financial Crimes Network

  • White-Collar Crimes | Investigations | Restitution
Financial Crimes Network

Welcome to Financial Crimes Network (FCN)

FCN is a non-governmental Consumer Protection website focused on CA fraud investigations and the recovery of stolen money or property. We assist victims of bank account fraud, elder financial abuse, embezzlement, identity theft, real estate or title fraud, scams, and wire fraud. FCN’s team of experts include forensic accountants, fraud analysts, financial crimes investigators, and specialized white-collar attorneys.

FCN has an exclusive network of financial professionals that has been vetted, and this team may be able to assist you in recovering some or all your stolen money or property. If you cannot afford to pay for professional services, you may qualify for a contingency payment program. The investigator or attorney may defer payment or accept a portion of your settlement in lieu of direct payment. Our team of professionals hold advanced credentials in fighting all types of consumer fraud and have years of experience.

New fraud schemes are emerging almost daily and law enforcement as well as state/federal agencies are overburdened investigating and prosecuting these complex crimes.

Unfortunately, this allows too many fraudsters to avoid prosecution and victims are not fairly compensated for their losses. FCN is a victim advocate focused on holding fraudsters accountable and providing relevant information and website links.

FCN can provide the information and resources to identify fraudsters, document their crimes, and implement an action plan to seek financial recovery. Our investigators can conduct surveillance, examine fraudulent documents, and then confront fraudsters to demand repayment. Or, our separately retained attorneys can file civil complaints to seek legal justice against fraudsters. We then often serve as counsel's investigator and expert witness in civil courts.

Please contact us to confidentially discuss your potential case and obtain an attorney referral who can assess your claims and legally advise you. We understand your difficult and painful situation and are here to help.



Financial Fraud Crimes

Financial fraud occurs when your money or assets are taken through deceptive, misleading, and/or illegal actions. This can be done through a variety of methods. Financial fraud recovery and prevention are our goals.

Real Estate Fraud

Mortgage and real estate fraud can be committed by a borrower or lender and involves deliberate lies, or omitting information that can be used by a mortgage underwriter, lender or borrower in the process of buying, funding or insuring a mortgage loan.

White Collar Crime

White collar crimes cover a range of fraudulent activities such as public corruption, health care fraud, mortgage fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering, including other forms like embezzlement, tax evasion, fake charities, and insider trading

Contract Fraud

When anyone lies or makes a misrepresentation of a material fact that persuades, or induces the other party to sign a detrimental contract, it is considered fraudulent misrepresentation, and in California, may be grounds for legal action.

Elder Fraud

Targets older adults with deceitful non-existent promises of goods, services, or financial benefits that were never intended to be provided. Financial exploitation is the illegal or improper use of an older adult's funds or property.

Public Scams

Scammers are constantly finding new ways to steal your money. Imposter scams, mail fraud, fake charity scams, debt collection scams include, money transfer or cellphone scams. Stay alert and learn how to prevent scammers from getting to you.

Probate Administration Fraud

Probate fraud can be when an administrator submits false information, makes unauthorized transactions, or removes assets, or if a person was left out of the will, destroys the will to force the estate into intestate succession to get a share.

Divorce Fraud

Attempting to hide assets, like jewelry or collectible items, cash, real estate holdings, or investments, or under reporting income to avoid spousal or child support responsibilities is a form of divorce fraud that has serious consequences.

Embezzlement Fraud

Embezzlement is when a person confiscates assets or money that were entrusted to them, and uses them for a different purpose than they were intended. Embezzlement often involves fraudulent acts rising to the level of a felony or federal crime.

Crypto Theft Fraud

Scammers impersonate new or established businesses by promoting and issuing their own fraudulent crypto coins or tokens. They might also create social media ads, news articles or a slick website to back it all up. There has been a tremendous amount of crypto fraud.

Romance Fraud

Online dating romance fraud is one of the most common scams, where someone pretends romantic intentions towards a victim,  gaining the victim's affection to get them to send money, or  fraudulent transfer or access to the victim's assets.

Imposter Fraud

Also known as 'phishing' involves calling, texting, or emailing representing themselves as someone in authority and often use a fake caller ID to appear as an official government or business asking you to send money, or gift cards, or personal info.

Grandparent Scams

Scammers call sounding like a grandchild or relative asking victims to send money, or gift cards to help them out of trouble. Scammers use emotional pleas, panic, and terrific urgency to pressure grandparents without verifying the caller's information.

Lottery or Prize Scams

A lottery scam is a type of advance-fee fraud which begins with an email notification, phone call, or mailing saying "You have won! Scammers then ask for an upfront payment for the fees and taxes as though they represent a government agency.

Identity Theft

Identity theft happens when someone takes your name and personal information (like your social security number) and uses it without your permission to do things like open new accounts, use your existing accounts, or obtain medical services.

Mail Fraud

Mail fraud letters look real but are fake. A common warning sign is a letter asking you to send money or personal information in order to receive something of value and include notices of prizes, sweepstakes winnings, vacations to claim valuable items.

Financial Crimes Network

Understanding Financial Crimes

Knowledge is Power! Fraudsters prey on victims who are not well versed in financial matters or who may be too trusting. The best defense is to know as much as possible about the person who wants to invest your money or who is offering you a chance to win a lottery or receive a large government grant. Most of these scams sound too good to be true and you should trust your instincts.

Always seek the advice of a financial professional, such as an attorney, CPA, or financial advisor. At a minimum, consult with a trustworthy friend or relative to ask about the investment. Ask them to search online for the individual who contacted you and their company's name. This information is useful in gaining a quick understanding about the person or company.

Financial investigators can conduct deep-dive investigations to screen out potential fraud and identify individuals or companies you should avoid. If you tell a potential fraudster that you will first need a background investigation on them and their business before investing, they will likely hang-up and contact another potential victim.

Numerous links to government websites are available to provide fraud alerts and to learn about current and emerging fraud schemes. If you check these government websites on a regular basis, when those scam calls or emails are received, you will likely recognize them and block them from further contact.

We are passionate about our work... FCN's core objective is to provide a convenient source of information and internet links to understand financial crimes, prevent or report fraud, and connect with attorneys and experts who specialize in civil litigation and complex financial investigations.

(858) 336-0520
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Fraud Case Example

Fraud Solutions

FCN's approach is to confidentially investigate fraud and then assist legal teams to hold fraudsters accountable for their actions through civil court litigation. Or, we may reach out directly to the fraudster to demand restitution or recommend referral to a state or federal attorney general's office for possible prosecution. For example, a recent fraudster who was a licensed real estate broker committed fraud to wrongfully foreclose on a $5 million dollar La Jolla, CA beach home. During court litigation, when presented with our investigative findings, the fraudster immediately agreed to transfer home ownership title back to the victim.

This quick resolution of fraud without law enforcement intervention was a better outcome for the victim. In addition, not all law enforcement agencies are staffed with financial crime experts and may not see the crime in the same eyes as a trained private fraud investigator and expert witness. In other words, filing a police report may not result in return of some or all of stolen property.

FCN's unique approach is to privately investigate fraud and work to hold fraudsters accountable for their actions by litigating their crimes in civil court or pursuing them to demand restitution. If those options are not successful, we can then work with victims to report crimes to law enforcement for prosecution.

Financial Crimes Network

FCN is not a governmental agency but focuses on providing individuals and businesses who have been scammed, or have been a victim of financial fraud with immediate resources to act. If you are a victim of fraud, suspect a spouse of hiding divorce assets, victim of a romance or online scam, or simply want to report fraud, we have built a network to help you.
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(858) 336-0520
Financial Crimes Network

Curtis L. Novy, Founder

FCN was created by Curtis L. Novy, a licensed financial investigator and a court certified expert witness in banking, financial crimes, and mortgage/real estate matters. Mr. Novy has 25+ years of experience and is the owner/qualified manager of Financial Investigative Services (FIS), serving Arizona, California, and Colorado.

Mr. Novy identified the business need for the public to have a non-governmental source of credible information to understand financial fraud and scams. Consumers now regularly reach out to Mr. Novy to learn more about fraud and steps to be taken to prevent or recover losses.

The first step is often consulting with a qualified attorney who specializes in financial matters. More information about Mr. Novy is available on his websites, FISIntel.com and WhiteCollarPI.com.

The FCN website is dedicated to consumers who have been scammed out of their life savings.