Don’t Get Scammed Twice: Watch Out for Fraud Recovery Scams

Key Takeaways

• Fraud victims may be specifically targeted again by criminals.
• Scammers may claim they can recover money that was previously stolen.
• Some impersonate government agencies, investigators or recovery companies.
• Never pay an upfront fee or provide financial information to someone who unexpectedly contacts you about recovering money.

Main Article

Being victimized by fraud is upsetting enough. But criminals have developed an especially cruel follow-up scheme: targeting people who have already lost money and promising to get it back. These “recovery scams” can appear particularly believable because the person contacting you may know details about the original fraud.

The FBI has recently renewed warnings about criminals impersonating personnel from its Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3. In these schemes, fraudsters may tell a victim that stolen funds have been located or that they can help recover previous losses. The real goal is to obtain more money or financial information from someone who has already been victimized. 

Be skeptical of anyone who unexpectedly contacts you offering to recover money, particularly if you’re asked to pay a fee first, provide banking credentials or continue the conversation through a private messaging app. The FBI specifically warns that IC3 does not charge people to recover lost funds.  If you’ve previously reported fraud, don’t assume that someone who knows about the incident is legitimate.

If you believe you’ve been targeted again, stop communicating with the individual and contact the appropriate organization independently using contact information you know is legitimate. If your NASA Federal account information or funds may be involved, contact NASA Federal immediately at 1-888-NASA-FCU. Fraudsters may see a previous victim as an opportunity. Knowing that recovery scams exist can help ensure one loss doesn’t become two.