Anton Piller order
Updated 2026-09-29
An Anton Piller order is a civil court order allowing a search of premises and seizure of documents or devices, carried out without advance warning to the other side. It exists to preserve evidence that might otherwise be deleted or destroyed once the wrongdoer learns a claim is coming.
When it matters
This order is rare and reserved for cases with strong evidence that important material, such as records of where scam funds went, is at real risk of being destroyed. It is granted under strict conditions and carried out under court supervision, not by the victim themselves. If you believe evidence is at risk, raise it early with a lawyer as part of a wider civil claim against a scammer, since timing affects whether this order is even available.
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