Recovery scam
A follow-up fraud targeting people who have already lost money, offering to get it back for an up-front fee.
Victim lists are an asset, and they get sold and reused. Anyone who has just lost a large sum is the highest-value target available: motivated, and already proven to pay.
The approach comes dressed as a blockchain investigator, a law firm, a government-sounding agency, or occasionally as the platform’s own “compliance department”. Some are the original operation returning under a new name. The rule is absolute: nobody legitimate contacts you first and charges an up-front fee to recover stolen funds. Recovery happens through your bank, the police, and occasionally a lawyer you found and engaged yourself.
Where it shows up
- Recovery scams — The second scam, aimed at the people the first one already took — and it arrives knowing exactly what you lost.