The first 24 hours
File the application and ask for the slip that confirms its registration. Under article 329 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the application must be registered and resolved at once, or, if a check is needed, no later than ten days. In exceptional cases the prosecutor may extend this limit to one month. Keep the payment documents, the correspondence, the telephone numbers and the account details. Do not delete the correspondence.
What the application must contain
The date and the place of the event; who you dealt with; what sum was transferred and by what method; what you were promised; the list of the attached documents. You must sign the written application.
The civil claim
Under article 276 of the Criminal Procedure Code, you may bring a civil claim for compensation of the property damage from the moment the criminal case is opened until the judicial investigation starts. No state duty is charged for it. A person who did not bring the claim in the criminal case may bring it later in civil proceedings.
If you get a refusal
Under article 333 of the Criminal Procedure Code, if the authority refuses to open the case, it must inform you and explain your right to appeal the decision and the procedure for the appeal. A copy of the decision goes to the prosecutor. The prosecutor may annul the refusal and open the case.