How to Protect Yourself from Recovery Scams

After experiencing the devastating blow of an online scam, the last thing anyone needs is to fall victim a second time.

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Yet, “recovery scams” are a pervasive and insidious threat, targeting individuals who are already vulnerable, desperate, and often financially depleted.

These secondary scams, which typically promise to recover lost funds for an upfront fee, are a cruel exploitation of a victim’s hope.

Understanding how to identify and protect yourself from them is crucial.

1. Be Skeptical of Unsolicited Offers for Help

• Unsolicited Contact: A primary red flag is any unsolicited contact offering to help you recover lost money. Scammers often share or sell victim lists, so if you’ve been scammed once, you might be targeted again. These offers can come via email, phone calls, social media messages, or even seemingly legitimate-looking websites that appear in search results.
• “We Know You Were Scammed”: Be suspicious if someone contacts you claiming to know about your previous scam, especially if you haven’t publicly shared details about it. This is a tactic used by fraudsters who have access to lists of scam victims.

2. Never Pay Upfront Fees for Recovery

• The Golden Rule: This is the most critical piece of advice: Never pay money to a service that promises to recover your lost funds for an upfront fee. Legitimate law enforcement agencies and government bodies do not charge individuals for investigating crimes or assisting victims.
• Common Excuses for Fees: Scammers will invent various reasons for upfront payments, such as “administrative fees,” “legal costs,” “taxes,” “security deposits,” “clearing fees,” or “transfer charges.” They might claim these fees are necessary to “release” your recovered funds. These are almost always fabricated.
• Contingency vs. Upfront: Legitimate legal firms that assist with asset recovery might work on a contingency basis, meaning they only get paid a percentage of the funds if they successfully recover them. While they might charge for specific hard costs, the bulk of their fee is success-dependent. Any firm demanding large upfront payments with no guarantee should be avoided.

3. Verify the Identity and Legitimacy of the “Recovery Service”

• Independent Research: Don’t rely on the information provided by the recovery service itself. Conduct your own thorough research. Search for their name online along with terms like “scam,” “review,” “complaint,” or “fraud.”
• Check Official Registrations: Verify if they are a registered legal firm, financial institution, or government agency. For law firms, check with the relevant bar association in their stated jurisdiction. For financial services, check with the financial regulatory authority (e.g., FCA in the UK, SEC/FINRA in the US). If they claim to be a government agency, cross-reference their contact details with official government websites.
• Physical Address and Contact Information: Be wary of services that only provide a mobile number or a P.O. box. Legitimate businesses typically have verifiable physical addresses and professional contact information.
• Unrealistic Promises: As discussed, a guarantee of “always get your money back” is a massive red flag. Real recovery is complex and rarely guaranteed.

4. Be Cautious About Sharing Personal Information Again

• “Verify Your Details”: Scammers running recovery scams may ask for your personal and financial information again, claiming they need it to “verify” your identity or the details of your previous scam. This can be an attempt to steal your identity or gain access to your accounts.
• Never Give Remote Access: Be extremely wary of anyone who asks you to download software that gives them remote access to your computer (e.g., TeamViewer, AnyDesk). This is a common tactic used to access your banking information or install malware.

5. Report Recovery Scams

If you are targeted by a recovery scam, report it immediately to the same official authorities you reported your initial scam to (e.g., IC3.gov, ReportFraud.ftc.gov, Action Fraud). This helps authorities track these secondary scams and protect other victims.

By applying a critical, skeptical, and cautious approach, especially when dealing with unsolicited offers of help to recover lost funds, you can significantly reduce your risk of falling victim to a painful second scam.

Prioritize official channels and reliable information.

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