Original Message:
Re: GETTING THE FBI INVOLVED IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE BEEN SCAMMED (by KC):
bd51: In regard to Haufman, Haufman & Associates, I mentioned them dead last in my post as a "P.S." (and with some reluctance, as I don't personally advocate use of such "recovery" services, which generally keep 50% of any money recovered). Moreover, recovery services don't bring the grip of "the long arm of the law" to bear upon the perpetrators. That said, however, recovery services like Haufman reportedly work strictly on contingency, so you pay them NOTHING until and unless they actually recover funds for you.
I don't know the Haufman outfit, personally, and I didn't mention them in terms of a recommendation, but folks on these forums in months past (hopefully not shills) HAVE reported success after utilizing their services.
As far as the contacts you named, my bet is that they are either paralegals or office assistants (not attorneys) working the phones, in which case it's no surprise that you didn't find their names in state bar records if they are not attorneys in the first place. I do find it odd, however, that they have an address (Silverside #39, 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE) yet, according to your post, may not actually be physically located there. Could it be that Haufman is just part of a much larger firm / outfit whose name IS on the directory at that address? I certainly don't claim to know. I do know that licensed Private Investigators sometimes have a "mail drop" address at which they are not ever actually physically located, thereby ensuring that any and all "face to face" encounters occur only by planned and scheduled mutual arrangement --- never by unannounced "drop-in" visits. This may or may not be the case with the Haufman operation. They may also operate under several different names. With the corporate laws and anonymity readily available in Delaware, who knows???
In any case, I hope you succeed in getting some of your lost money back. It will be interesting to learn of your particular results with Haufman & Associates.