Warning: Fake "EFRI Restitution Department" Emails Claim Seized Crypto Assets and Request ID Documents
Fraudsters are again impersonating EFRI. German-language emails are circulating from [email protected], signed “Elfriede Sixt, Principal – Restitution & Case Management”. They are fake. The domain does not belong to EFRI, and EFRI has no “Restitution Department”.
Do not reply, do not click links, do not send identity documents, do not pay.
What the email claims
- EFRI has identified assets “linked to your identity”: 109.2158 ETH, converted to EUR 220,986.00.
- A transfer to a fraudulent bank account was “cancelled” by EFRI’s “monitoring systems”; the funds are held in an “escrow account at BNP Paribas”.
- Third parties registered the wallet in your name using your ID; you are the “sole lawful beneficiary”.
- The procedure was reviewed under Regulation (EU) 2015/847 and Directive (EU) 2018/843.
- To release the funds, you must send a full copy of your passport, ID card (front and back) or driving licence.
The signature gives an address at Mariahilfer Straße 123/12, 1060 Vienna, and links to efri.io.
Why this is a scam
- EFRI does not hold, freeze or release money. EFRI is a not-for-profit association registered in Vienna (ZVR 1493630560). It has no monitoring systems over third-party transfers and no escrow accounts at any bank.
- Freezing assets is for law enforcement and courts.
- The legal references are window dressing.
- Both acts impose obligations on banks, not powers on private organisations. Regulation (EU) 2015/847 has moreover been replaced by Regulation (EU) 2023/1113 since 30 December 2024.
As with all impersonations scams genuine facts are mixed in. EFRI is indeed a qualified entity under § 1(1) Austrian QEG and listed in the EU register for representative actions. That status does not make EFRI a custodian of funds. The name of a real EFRI board member is being misused; the job title is invented.
The pattern is classic: an unexpected windfall, official-sounding authority, a request for full ID copies — ideal for opening accounts or wallets in your name — and, typically next, demands for “release fees” or “taxes”. The money never arrives.
How to recognise genuine EFRI communication
EFRI writes only from efri.io (not efri-restitution.org, not efri-department.com). EFRI never requests upfront payments, promises reimbursements, claims to hold funds for you, or asks for ID copies to “release” money. If in doubt, use only the contact details on efri.io.
What to do
- Forward the email as an attachment to us ([email protected]) then delete it.
- Report it to the police.
- Already sent ID? Report identity misuse to the police, contact the issuing authority about blocking the document, and alert your bank.
- Already paid? Contact your bank immediately to recall the payment and file a criminal complaint. Anyone then offering to “recover” that money for a fee is likely part of the same scheme.
Earlier warnings: Recovery Scammers Are Impersonating EFRI Again · Fake EFRI Investigator IDs
Our Assessment
This scheme targets identity documents first and borrows real legislation, EFRI’s genuine status and a real name — which makes it more convincing and more dangerous. Fraud victims, hoping to recover losses, are most exposed. The rule is simple: no legitimate organisation offers you unknown money in exchange for a copy of your passport.
