Scam Investigations in Colorado

01The landscape

Colorado's Scam Problem by the Numbers

Scammers took more than $243 million from Coloradans in 2024, according to FBI figures reported in April 2025, nearly $56 million more than the year before. The same reporting ranked Colorado seventh in the nation for scam complaints per capita. Those numbers count only what people reported to the FBI, so the true losses are higher. Victims range from students renting their first apartment in Boulder or Fort Collins to business owners in the Denver Tech Center, and our Denver investigation team handles a steady flow of these cases.

Colorado's growth feeds the problem. People relocating from other states search for housing sight unseen, hail and wildfire seasons bring waves of repair work, and a busy online resale market moves vehicles, outdoor gear and event tickets every day. Each creates openings for a fraudster with a convincing listing. Our Thornton investigators see many marketplace and rental cases in the fast-growing north metro.

02Housing and repairs

Rental Listing Scams and Contractor Fraud

Rental scams copy photos and descriptions from real listings, post them at an attractive price and collect an application fee or deposit by wire, payment app or gift card from someone who cannot tour the property. The real owner often has no idea. We trace the listing's origin, the payment destination and the contact details used, and compare them with other fraudulent posts. Landlords targeted by the reverse problem, false applicants, can use our Colorado tenant screening before handing over keys.

Contractor fraud is a Colorado staple after storms. Crews knock on doors after hail, collect deposits for roofing, siding or dent repair, and leave town or deliver a fraction of the work. We document the contract, payments and work performed, research the company and its owners, and find the people behind it when they have moved on. For buyers and investors, our Colorado real estate risk reviews catch title and seller red flags before a property deal closes.

03Colorado law

Colorado Consumer Protection and Civil Theft Remedies

The Colorado Consumer Protection Act, C.R.S. § 6-1-101 and following, gives private plaintiffs a claim for deceptive trade practices. Under § 6-1-113, a successful plaintiff generally recovers the greater of actual damages or $500, plus attorney fees, and three times actual damages on clear and convincing proof of bad faith, which the statute defines as fraudulent, willful, knowing or intentional conduct. Most such claims must generally be brought within three years under § 6-1-115, counted from the deceptive act or its discovery. The Colorado litigators we work with decide which claims fit.

When property or money was taken, Colorado's civil theft statute, C.R.S. § 18-4-405, generally allows an owner to recover the greater of $200 or three times actual damages, plus costs and fees, from the taker. The Attorney General and district attorneys also enforce consumer law, and the Attorney General's Stop Fraud Colorado program takes complaints online. Our explanation of the legal limits on Colorado investigators shows how we gather evidence without creating problems for your case.

• Greater of actual damages or $500, plus fees
• Treble damages on clear and convincing proof of bad faith
• Generally three years to file under § 6-1-115
• Civil theft: greater of $200 or treble damages

04Online fraud

Marketplace Sellers, Impostors and Online Relationships

Online marketplace fraud includes goods paid for and never shipped, counterfeit items, fake concert and ski-pass sales, and overpayment schemes that target sellers. Impostor scams pose as a utility, a bank's fraud team, a government agency or a well-known company and push for urgent payment. Relationship scams build trust over weeks before the requests for money begin; our Colorado dating and online identity checks test whether the person is who they claim to be.

Each scam leaves a footprint: account names, phone numbers, email addresses, reused photos, shipping addresses and payment handles. A scam investigation connects those pieces across platforms and, where lawful records allow, to a real person. When the victim is an older adult, our elder financial exploitation work adds the reporting and capacity issues those cases raise. When payment went through crypto, our blockchain tracing in Colorado follows the funds.

05Businesses

Fraud Against Colorado Businesses

Companies face their own versions: business email compromise that swaps a vendor's bank details on an invoice, fake suppliers set up by an insider, payroll diversion, refund fraud and customers who pay with stolen cards. Losses can be large and quick. We reconstruct how the payment was approved, which emails and accounts were involved and whether anyone inside helped, and our Colorado employee theft investigations handle the insider side with care for employment-law limits.

After the immediate matter, the question becomes prevention. Our fraud risk audits for Colorado companies review payment approvals, vendor onboarding and segregation of duties, and our Colorado corporate investigations support counsel when a loss leads to litigation, an insurance claim or a referral to law enforcement. Insurers often require prompt notice of a crime loss, so check your policy early.

06Records

Public Records, Identity Theft and Lawful Data Sources

Colorado's open records law helps. Under the Colorado Open Records Act, public records are generally open to any person, with no residency requirement, and a reasonable response time is presumed to be three working days, extendable by up to seven more in limited circumstances. Copies are capped at 25 cents a page, and the first hour of research is free. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation offers a name-based internet criminal history check that covers Colorado records only. We combine these with court records and business filings, and our Colorado skip tracing finds people who have moved.

Identity theft victims often need to know how their information was obtained and where it is still exposed. We use lawful, permissible-purpose data sources and comply with federal and Colorado privacy law, including the Colorado Privacy Act for the businesses it covers. Our personal information wipe service removes what people-search sites expose. Colorado no longer licenses private investigators at the state level, so our vetting checklist for Colorado investigators helps you judge any firm, including ours.

07Courts

Small Claims, County Court and Collecting a Judgment

Colorado small claims court hears cases up to $7,500, county court handles civil cases up to $25,000, and district court takes larger claims. In district court, a defendant generally must be served within 63 days after the complaint is filed under C.R.C.P. 4(m) and has 21 days to answer, or 35 days if served outside Colorado. Abode service is generally on a family member 18 or older at the defendant's home. Delator's Colorado process servers handle delivery and the affidavit.

A judgment is only useful if it can be collected. Our Colorado asset searches identify property, vehicles, business interests and accounts that may satisfy a judgment, and our debtor locate services find defendants who move to avoid collection. Fraud matters carry a $2,000 minimum, with additional hours at $100 per hour under a written scope. Delator Group is a licensed Tennessee firm that holds itself to Tennessee's standard in Colorado.

Services

Scam Investigation Services in Colorado

• Scammer identificationLinking phone numbers, accounts, listings, email addresses and payment handles to a real person or business where lawful records allow.Learn more
• Rental scam tracingTracing fake listings and payment destinations, and comparing them with other fraudulent posts using the same details.Learn more
• Contractor fraud documentationDocumenting contracts, deposits and work performed, and finding contractors who left after collecting money.Learn more
• Online identity verificationTesting whether an online contact, seller or partner is who they claim to be before or after money changes hands.Learn more
• Business payment fraud reviewReconstructing diverted payments, vendor changes and approvals, and identifying any insider involvement.Learn more
• Fraud prevention auditReviewing payment approval, vendor onboarding and duty separation so the same scheme does not succeed twice.Learn more
• Crypto payment tracingFollowing wallet transfers and kiosk deposits and supporting Colorado kiosk refund reporting.Learn more
• Judgment asset searchIdentifying property and accounts that may satisfy a judgment against the person or company responsible.Learn more
• Service of court papersDelivery of small claims, county court and district court papers in Colorado, with a signed affidavit of service.Learn more

How it works

How a Scam Investigation Works

1. 01

   Intake and preservation

   We collect messages, listings, receipts and account details, confirm what you have reported and to whom, and tell you which records to preserve immediately.

2. 02

   Written scope at the scam minimum

   You receive the planned tasks and an estimate measured against the $2,000 minimum for fraud work, with added hours at $100 each, approved in writing first.

3. 03

   Research and tracing

   We connect the scheme's footprint across platforms, trace payments and research the people involved, reporting progress to you in writing.

4. 04

   Report for police and counsel

   You receive a dated report with exhibits and a timeline, organized for law enforcement, the Attorney General, your insurer or your attorney.

Compare

Colorado Reference Points for Fraud Victims

Statewide coverage

Fraud Investigations Across Colorado

Research and tracing are done remotely at the same hourly rate statewide. Interviews and field work come from the nearest team, including our Aurora investigators, the Westminster private investigators, our Fort Collins team for Larimer County and the Pueblo investigators for southern Colorado. The Colorado statewide hub lists every city we serve.

• Denver
• Thornton
• Aurora
• Westminster
• Fort Collins
• Pueblo
• All of Colorado

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Every service

Investigations available in Colorado

Every service below is available in Colorado and across Colorado, run by the same Delator Group leadership that manages our Tennessee casework. Choose a service to read how it works in Colorado.

Service areas

Private investigators across Colorado