Scam Recovery Fee Scam

People who have already lost money to a scam are offered help getting it back. A website, message or caller claims to be an investigator, a law firm, an agency or a recovery service, asks for details of the scam and how much was lost, and then asks for an upfront fee before any recovery can start. The fee is the scam. Nothing is recovered, and the details collected can be used to target the person again.

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Scam Recovery Fee Scam example

How this scam works

  1. 1

    Step 1: After losing money to a scam, you find or are sent an offer to report it or get the money back.

  2. 2

    Step 2: The offer uses official-sounding names, such as an investigation agency, a government body or a fund recovery service.

  3. 3

    Step 3: A form asks for your name, contact details, where you live, how much you lost and the website or person that scammed you.

  4. 4

    Step 4: You are told a fee must be paid first, for an inspection, an investigation or a release of funds, sometimes with an offer to negotiate the amount.

  5. 5

    Step 5: If you pay, more fees follow or the contact stops. No money is returned.

✓ Do this

  • Report scams for free to the police, your bank and your national fraud reporting service.
  • If you were scammed, contact your bank or payment provider directly using the number on your card or its official website.
  • Treat any unrequested offer to recover lost money as a likely second scam.

✗ Avoid this

  • Do not pay an upfront fee to have scam losses investigated or recovered.
  • Do not pay with gift cards or crypto for an inspection, investigation or recovery fee.
  • Do not give details of your losses to a website or person who contacted you first or who you cannot verify independently.

Other scams in Advance Fee Fraud

Other documented patterns in this category.

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Need help with a similar message?

Do not reply, pay, or use contact details in an unexpected message. Verify through the official app or website, then report what you saw so the Archive can connect related patterns.

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Quick tip: Verify independently

Don’t call numbers or click links in unexpected messages. Go directly to the company’s official site or app and contact support from there.

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