The Recovery Scam That Comes After the First One
Someone offering to get your lost money back is probably running the next scam. Here is how the FTC says these refund and recovery scams work, and what to do instead.
The rescue call is probably the next scam
You lost money to a scammer. Now someone has contacted you saying they can get it back. The FTC says that person is probably running a refund and recovery scam. These scammers target people who have already lost money to a scam. They claim they can help get your money back, but they ask you to pay first.
The FTC says not to give money or personal information to someone who contacts you offering to help recover money you already lost. The person promising a rescue is very likely the next scam aimed at the same person.
Who they pretend to be
A recovery scammer does not say they are a scammer. The FTC says they may pretend to be with a government agency, a consumer advocacy group, or a law firm. None of that makes them real.
The FTC says government agencies and real organizations never ask for money to help you get a refund. So an upfront fee is not a sign the rescue is working. It is the sign of a scam.
The upfront fee and how they want it paid
The FTC says anyone who contacts you and asks for an upfront fee is a scammer. It does not matter how official they sound or how much proof they show you. The fee is the tell.
Watch how they want to be paid, too. The FTC says only scammers insist you pay with cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or a payment app.
The FTC says never pay upfront for a refund, and never give personal or financial information to get one. Handing those over just gives the scammer more to work with.
The overpayment check trick
Some recovery scammers use a fake check instead of an upfront fee. The FTC warns about a refund check for more money than you lost.
The FTC says not to deposit a refund check for more money than you lost. It can take weeks for a bank to discover that a check it cleared was a fake. The money will look real in your account until then. If you return money to the scammer, the bank will want you to repay that money. The fake refund turns into a second loss on top of the first.
How to check whoever contacted you
You do not have to take their word for who they are. The FTC says to research any organizations or government agencies that contact you.
Search the organization's name online with words like complaint, scam, or review. The FTC says to check with your state attorney general to see if other people have complained about the organization.
If they claim to be a government agency, look up the agency's number on your own and call to confirm that they contacted you. The FTC says not to call a number they gave you, and not to use the number from your caller ID.
What you can still do about the original loss
The FTC says there are steps to try to stop a transaction, get a transaction reversed, or get a refund. The FTC says if you have paid a scammer, the sooner you act, the better.
Report the recovery scam
The FTC says if you have lost money to a refund or recovery scam, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. When you report these scammers, you help law enforcement stop them and alert others in your community to the scam. For the wider picture on where reports go and what else to file, read how can I report a scam.