How do I report a recovery scam or fake scam recovery service?
Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI IC3. Recovery scams are secondary frauds that target people who have already been victimised once.
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Explanation
Recovery scams are a specific and particularly cruel form of fraud in which criminals contact people who have already lost money to a scam and promise to recover those funds for an upfront fee. The scammer may impersonate a government agency, a law firm, or a specialist recovery company. After collecting the fee, they disappear or invent further reasons to charge more money.
In the US, report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Describe the original scam and the recovery scam separately. Also report to the FBI IC3 at ic3.gov, noting that this is a secondary fraud targeting a fraud victim. Your state attorney general should also receive a report if the recovery company identified a specific state address.
In the UK, report to Action Fraud. Note in your report that you were previously a victim and that the recovery scam followed from that. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau tracks these patterns and the sequence of events strengthens the intelligence value of your report.
Legitimate organisations that help scam victims — such as IDCARE in Australia, the FTC's recovery tools, and Victim Support — are free to use and never solicit you with promises of guaranteed recovery. If someone contacts you unsolicited after a fraud loss and asks for payment to proceed, this is a recovery scam.
Common red flags
- You were contacted out of nowhere by someone who somehow knew you had been scammed
- A fee was required upfront to begin the recovery process
- The service guaranteed a specific amount of money would be returned
- The company's contact details and website were brand new
- You were asked to pay the recovery fee by cryptocurrency or wire transfer
- The 'lawyer' or 'agent' could not provide a verifiable bar number or company registration
What to do now
- Stop all contact and do not pay any further fees
- Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov noting it is a secondary scam
- File with IC3 at ic3.gov referencing both the original and recovery fraud
- Report to your state AG or Action Fraud
- Contact your bank if any payment was made to the recovery service
- Read /recovery for legitimate free routes to financial recovery
Frequently asked questions
Are there any legitimate paid recovery services for fraud victims?
A very small number of regulated solicitors or forensic accountants charge for legal work on fraud cases, such as pursuing civil claims or insolvency proceedings. The difference is they are verifiably registered, do not solicit cold, and are transparent about realistic outcomes. Never pay upfront to an unsolicited recovery contact.
How did the recovery scammer know I was a fraud victim?
Victim lists are bought and sold on criminal marketplaces. Once your details enter the fraud ecosystem — even from a different type of scam — they can be shared among criminal networks.