Recovery scams: fake fund-recovery services

Fund-recovery and crypto-recovery scams operate on a simple assumption: someone who has already lost money is emotionally invested in getting it back and may be less careful the second time. Operators present themselves as specialists, "asset recovery experts", "cyber-crime investigators", "blockchain forensics firms" or lawyers, and claim they can trace, freeze or reclaim funds that were sent to a scammer.

In practice, they usually cannot do what they claim. Once money is confirmed on a blockchain, sent by wire, or withdrawn by the original scammer, there is generally no technical or legal shortcut a private company can use to reverse it. The "recovery service" instead collects an upfront fee, and sometimes further fees along the way, and then disappears or simply stops responding.

Contact details and case information can end up being shared or sold between scam operations. This is one reason someone who was scammed once may later receive an unsolicited call, email or message referencing their situation in surprising detail, sometimes citing the platform used, the approximate amount lost, or even the name of the original scammer. This detail can make the follow-up approach feel credible, but it does not mean the person contacting you is legitimate; it usually means your information was already compromised or sold.

• Upfront fees. Legitimate legal or investigative work is rarely paid entirely in advance before any documented progress, and certainly not as a condition just to "open your case".
• Guaranteed recovery. No one can guarantee that money sent to a scammer will be returned. Confident promises of a specific amount or timeline are a strong warning sign.
• Claims of hacking wallets or accounts back. Offers to "hack into" the scammer's wallet, exchange account or bank to retrieve funds are not a legitimate legal process, whether or not they are even technically possible.
• Fake law-firm or agency identities. Some operations invent a law firm, regulator or "recovery agency" name, sometimes reusing the branding or logo of a real organization without permission.
• Fake government or platform affiliation. Claims of being partnered with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of a government agency, bank or major platform should be independently verified, not taken at face value.
• Pressure and secrecy. Being told to act quickly, to keep the arrangement confidential, or not to discuss it with your bank or family, is a manipulation tactic, not a professional practice.
• Payment in cryptocurrency or gift cards. Legitimate professional fees are paid through traceable, reversible-where-possible channels. A demand for crypto or gift cards is a strong indicator of fraud.

If someone claims to be a lawyer, licensed investigator or regulated financial professional, verify this independently before engaging or paying:

• Look up the individual or firm on the official bar association, law society, or professional licensing register for the country or state they claim to practice in, rather than relying on a link or certificate they send you.
• Call the firm's publicly listed number, found independently, not a number given to you by the contact.
• Ask for a written engagement letter or contract that clearly states the scope of work, fee structure and what happens if the case is unsuccessful.
• Be skeptical of professionals who only communicate through messaging apps and refuse video calls or in-person meetings.

Genuine avenues for support after a scam typically include:

• Your bank or card issuer, who can review chargeback or recall options for the specific payment method used.
• Local police or a national fraud-reporting body, who can log an official report and pass on relevant leads.
• A licensed lawyer or financial advisor, verified independently, if the amount involved justifies formal legal advice.
• Fraudpol, for submitting a detailed report on the individual, group or infrastructure involved, which can be referred to the competent authorities.

None of these routes can guarantee that lost money will be returned, and anyone claiming otherwise should be treated with caution. For a full breakdown of what to do immediately after being scammed, see our guide on what to do now.

1. Stop all further payments immediately, even if you are told additional fees, taxes or "unlocking costs" are required to finish the process.
2. Contact your bank or card issuer about the payment made to the recovery service itself; it may qualify for its own dispute depending on how it was paid.
3. Gather all communications, invoices, contracts and payment records with the recovery service.
4. File a police report covering both the original scam and the recovery-service payment as a separate incident.
5. Report the recovery service and any individual or group involved through Fraudpol's reporting form, so the case can be referred to relevant authorities and to help protect others from the same operation.

To be completely clear: Fraudpol does not recover money for victims, is not a government agency or law-enforcement body, and never charges victims a fee for the possibility of recovering funds. Fraudpol also never contacts victims unsolicited asking for payment of any kind.

What Fraudpol offers is a way to document and report a scammer, scam group or fraudulent scheme in detail, so that the case can be referred to the competent authorities and platforms. If you want to report an individual or group, use the report a scammer guide, or the more specific guides for crypto scams, romance scams, Telegram scams, and Instagram scams.