Fraud & Scams
Recovery scams: when fraud strikes twice
The cruelest scheme in the catalog targets people who were already defrauded — with an offer to get their money back, for a fee.
After a fraud, victims often do exactly the right thing: they post about it, file complaints, join forums. Criminals harvest those posts. Weeks later comes the contact — a “recovery firm,” a “blockchain investigator,” a “regulator” or “lawyer” who has located the stolen funds and can release them once you pay a processing fee, tax, or retainer. It is the same wallet on the other end. Sometimes it is literally the same people.
Why it works
Recovery scams weaponize hope and urgency at a person’s lowest moment — and they arrive with convincing props: your case details (scraped from your own posts), official-looking documents, spoofed government email addresses. Two facts cut through all of it: legitimate authorities never charge fees to return recovered funds, and no private firm can “release” money that law enforcement hasn’t recovered.
The rules that protect you
Never pay money to recover money — upfront fees, taxes, or “wallet unlocking” charges are the scam. Verify any government contact by calling the agency through its public switchboard, not the number in the message. Be equally wary of unsolicited lawyers and of anyone who found you. And guard your story: report to authorities, but think twice before posting identifying details publicly.
The legitimate path
Real recovery, when it happens, flows through law enforcement and regulators: file with the FBI’s IC3, the SEC, and your state securities regulator; notify your bank immediately (recall windows are short); and keep every record. Progress can be slow and partial — which is exactly the vacuum recovery scammers fill. If someone contacts you promising better, you’ve just met chapter two of the same fraud. Our Fraud & Scams Center keeps the full reporting list current.
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