Recovery scams

How it works

Weeks or months after the fraud, someone appears claiming they can recover the money. They may present themselves as a lawyer, as a recovery firm or even as an official from a public body. They ask for an upfront payment for filings, fees or taxes, and disappear.

Unmistakable signs

• They guarantee recovery. Nobody can guarantee it, ourselves included.
• They ask for money before seeing a single document.
• They contacted you, not the other way round.
• They claim to have your details because you appear on a list of victims.
• They rush you: a deadline expiring, an opportunity slipping away.

What to do

Pay nothing. Keep the contact details, the messages and any document they sent: it documents the second attempt and often reveals something about the first.