UK debt recovery from someone in USA
I’m looking for some advice because I’m honestly not sure what I should be doing next. I’m a UK resident and over the period of roughly September 2025 to September 2026, I transferred approximately £460,000 to someone I met online. I was told the money was being provided as loans and that it would be repaid. There are extensive messages, bank transfers, emails and other evidence documenting the payments and the reasons I was given for needing the money. There are also messages relating to repayment and statements that I believe are potentially relevant to the police investigation. The situation has now escalated because the person has apparently left the UK and is currently in Los Angeles, California. I am still in contact with them by SMS/iMessage and they don't appear to know that I have reported the matter to UK law enforcement. They are also still active on social media. I have now:
- Reported the matter to UK police/fraud authorities.
- Submitted a report to the FBI's IC3 system.
- Preserved the messages, bank records, screenshots, emails and other evidence.
- Given the UK police a chronology and supporting evidence.
- Told the police that the person is believed to now be in the US.
I'm trying to understand what I should realistically do now, rather than making the situation worse. A few questions I'd really appreciate advice on:
- Should I simply maintain contact and preserve any further messages/evidence, or should I stop communicating with them?
- Is there anything else I should report to US law enforcement given that the person is believed to be in California?
- Should I be speaking to a UK solicitor immediately about civil recovery, even though the person is now abroad?
- If the police decide to investigate, how does something involving a UK victim and someone currently in the US normally progress?
- Is there anything particularly important I should be doing now to preserve evidence or improve the chances of recovering the money?
I'm not looking for anyone to identify or contact this person. I'm mainly looking for practical advice from people who have dealt with international fraud, UK/US law enforcement, civil recovery, or similar situations. I realise Reddit isn't a substitute for legal advice, but given the amount involved and the fact that the person is now apparently overseas, I'd really appreciate any guidance on what the sensible next steps are.