Recovery Scams: When "We Can Get Your Money Back" Is Another Scam
After a scam, fake recovery agents, lawyers, hackers and officials promise to get your money back for a fee. How recovery scams work and how to spot them.
After losing money to a scam, you want it back more than anything. Criminals know this. Within days or weeks of a loss, many victims are contacted by someone who promises to recover the money: a specialist firm, a lawyer, a hacker, even someone claiming to be from the police or a government agency. There is always a fee first. This is a recovery scam, and it is one of the cruellest because it targets people who have already been hurt.
The rule to remember: no genuine authority or bank will ask you to pay a fee, a tax or a "release charge" to get scam losses back.
How recovery scams work
The pattern is consistent across countries:
- They find you. Sometimes the original scammers sell or reuse your details. Sometimes they look for people posting about their losses online, or they place adverts that appear when victims search for help.
- They sound official and sympathetic. They know details of your case, use legal or technical language, and may send documents with seals, case numbers and signatures.
- They promise results. "We have traced your funds." "Your money has been frozen and is ready for release."
- They ask for money first. A registration fee, a legal fee, a tax, an "anti-money laundering certificate", or a small test payment.
- The fees keep coming. Each payment leads to another obstacle, until you stop paying or run out of money.
The disguises they use
| They claim to be | What they usually say |
|---|---|
| A fund recovery company | "We specialise in tracing scam funds and have a high success rate." |
| A lawyer or law firm | "We are handling a class action against the company that scammed you." |
| An ethical hacker | "I can hack the scammer's wallet and return your crypto." |
| Police or a government agency | "We arrested the gang and recovered your funds. Pay the processing fee to receive them." |
| An international body | Names like the UN, Interpol or a "world bank compensation fund". |
| The original platform | "Your trading account is unlocked. Pay the withdrawal tax to release your balance." |
Illustrative examples
hxxps://global-asset-recovery-desk[.]com- They contacted you, not the other way round.
- A fee is needed before the money is "released". Real authorities do not charge victims.
- A deadline creates pressure, and the web address is not an official government domain.
- Comments like this often appear under posts where victims describe losses, and are posted by fake accounts.
- No one can reverse a crypto transfer by "hacking". The only thing retrieved is your next payment.
How to tell a genuine route from a recovery scam
- Who contacted whom? Genuine help is something you seek out through official channels. Unsolicited offers are a warning sign.
- Is there an upfront fee? Police, regulators and reporting services do not charge victims.
- Are results guaranteed? No honest organization can promise to recover scam losses.
- Can you verify them independently? Look up the organization yourself. For law firms and financial firms, check the official regulator's register in your country, and contact them using details from that register, not from the message.
- Do they want remote access, your banking login or ID documents? That is how a second theft happens.
The genuine routes to recovery
Real recovery happens through a small number of channels:
- Your bank, card issuer or payment provider. See can you get your money back after a scam for what affects the outcome.
- The police and your national fraud or cybercrime service.
- Your country's financial ombudsman or regulator, if your bank refuses a claim.
- A regulated lawyer you find and verify yourself, for large losses, who explains fees clearly and makes no guarantees.
If you have already paid a recovery scammer
- Stop paying, however close they say you are.
- Call your bank to try to stop the payment.
- Do not send ID documents or allow remote access. If you already have, secure your accounts and consider protecting your identity with a credit freeze or fraud alert where available.
- Report it as a new scam; see our country-by-country reporting guide.
- Be ready for more contact. Paying once often leads to more offers. Do not engage.
Got an offer that sounds official? Paste it into CyberWatch AI Scan for a free check, then verify the organization through its official website.
Recovery scams are why the last step in our guide on what to do if you have been scammed is "watch for follow-up scams". Being scammed once does not make you careless, and knowing this trick makes you much harder to catch a second time.
Frequently asked questions
Are all fund recovery companies scams?
Not every one, but companies that contact you first, promise results, or ask for an upfront fee should be treated as scams. Genuine routes to recovering money are your bank or payment provider, the police, official reporting services and, in some cases, a regulated lawyer you find yourself.
How did the recovery scammer know about my loss?
Often they are the same criminals or bought your details from them. Victim lists are traded, and details from public complaints or social media posts are also used.
Can hackers really get back stolen cryptocurrency?
No private 'hacker' can reverse a blockchain transaction for you. Anyone offering this for a fee is running a scam.
I already paid a recovery service. What now?
Stop paying, call your bank to try to stop the payment, save the conversation, and report it as a separate scam to your national fraud service.
Sources
- Refund and Recovery Scams, US Federal Trade Commission
- What to Know About Cryptocurrency and Scams, US Federal Trade Commission
- ScamSmart, UK Financial Conduct Authority
