'Fund Recovery' Scam (Re-Targeting Victims)
After you've been scammed, a 'recovery' service or 'agency' promises to get your money back for an upfront fee — and steals from you again.
Think a message like this reached you? You can check it right now.
What this scam is
Scammers keep lists of prior victims and contact them claiming they can recover the lost funds — as a specialized recovery firm, a 'blockchain investigator,' or even a government agency. They ask for an upfront fee, taxes, or your account details to 'process' the recovery. No money is recovered; you lose the fee too. Real law enforcement does not charge victims to recover funds, and legitimate recovery through banks or authorities does not require upfront crypto payments.
What it usually looks like
- An offer to recover money you previously lost.
- An upfront fee, 'tax,' or deposit to start recovery.
- Claims of special tools, connections, or authority.
- Requests for your wallet or account details.
Common warning signs
- Being contacted about a loss you already suffered.
- Upfront fees to 'recover' funds.
- Guarantees of recovery.
- Requests for account access or crypto payment.
Example wording scammers use
“We're a licensed recovery agency and can retrieve your lost crypto — pay the 10% processing fee to begin.”
“This is the Financial Recovery Unit; deposit the recovery bond and we'll return your funds.”
These are illustrative examples written by ScamSplain, not real messages.
What the scammers want
- A second round of payments from a known victim.
- Your account/wallet details.
- To exploit your desperation to recover losses.
What to do
- Assume any 'we can recover your money' offer is a second scam.
- Never pay upfront fees to recover funds.
- Report losses through official channels only (ic3.gov, your bank).
- Do not share account or wallet access.
What to do if you already responded
- Stop payments and preserve records.
- Report to ic3.gov and reportfraud.ftc.gov.
- Be wary — you may now be targeted repeatedly.