Recovery scams: when someone promises to get your lost money back — for a fee
After a scam, a "recovery agent", law firm, or government official may offer to get your money back. If they want an up-front fee or your details, it is a second scam. Here is how it works and the free way to actually recover funds.
Losing money to a scam is bad enough. The recovery scam is the second hit: someone contacts you promising to get that money back — and to do it, they need a fee, or your personal details, up front. What you get back is nothing, on top of what you already lost.
How the scam works
Recovery scammers often target people who have already been scammed — sometimes the original criminals come back, sometimes a new crew works from lists of known victims:
- The target. They reach out to people known to have lost money, occasionally claiming you’re on an official “list of scam victims” who can now be reimbursed.
- The cover story. They pose as a law firm, a “fund recovery” agency, a consumer-advocacy group, or a government official, and promise to claw your money back.
- The ask. They demand an up-front payment — dressed up as a retainer, processing, or administrative fee — often by wire, gift card, or crypto. They may also ask for personal and financial information “to deposit your refund”.
- The second loss. You pay the fee or hand over your data, and nothing comes back. The fee is the whole point.
The fact to remember: legitimate recovery never requires you to pay up front. Law enforcement doesn’t charge victims to investigate, and no honest service guarantees your money back for a fee.
How to spot it
The tells are in the box below, but the shortcut is simple: an unsolicited offer to recover your money + an up-front fee (or a request for your details) = walk away. Real recovery runs through your bank and official reports, and it doesn’t cost a “retainer”.
What to do instead
You don’t need to pay anyone to take the real recovery steps — they’re free, and they come first (see the defense box). The habit here is Never Pay to Get Paid: a genuine refund, prize, or recovery never asks for money first. Start with your bank or card issuer, then report to the FBI’s IC3 and the FTC. For more habits that stop the follow-up scams, see our defense moves — and never pay a fee to be “helped”.
- Someone contacts you out of the blue offering to recover money you lost to an earlier scam.
- They ask for an up-front payment — a "retainer", "processing", or "administrative" fee — before any money comes back.
- They claim to be a law firm, "fund recovery" agency, or a government agency, and ask for personal or financial details.
- No one legitimate guarantees your money back for a fee. If a fee is required up front, it is a scam — stop there.
- Real recovery is free: contact your own bank, card issuer, or the payment service directly to dispute or try to reverse the transaction.
- Don't hand over personal or financial information to anyone who contacts you offering recovery. They don't need your SSN or card to "deposit" a refund.
- Report it through free, official channels: the FBI's IC3 (IC3.gov), the FTC, and IdentityTheft.gov if your details were exposed.
There's a special cruelty to this one: it preys on people at their lowest, right after a loss, when hope is the easiest thing to sell. The rule I'd give a friend is blunt — the moment a 'recovery' costs money up front, it's the same scam wearing a new hat. Real help, from your bank or a fraud report, never asks you to pay to be helped.
Sources
Frequently asked
Can anyone really get my scammed money back?
Sometimes — but only through free, legitimate channels: your bank or card issuer disputing the charge, or an official report to the FBI's IC3 or the FTC. No private company or individual can guarantee recovery, and anyone who demands an up-front fee to do it is running a scam.
A "fund recovery agency" contacted me. Is it legit?
Treat an unsolicited recovery offer as a scam, especially if it arrived by call, text, social media, or personal email and asks for a fee or your financial details. The FBI has documented fake law firms and recovery outfits that take an up-front fee and then vanish.
Someone from a "government agency" offered to help recover my funds. Real?
No. The FBI warns that scammers impersonate the IC3, FBI, and other agencies to re-victimise people who already lost money. Real government agencies never charge you a fee to recover funds, and won't refer you to a company that does. Hang up and report it.