Recovery Scams: Phishing scams that target past victims

There is a significant spike in money recovery phishing scams targeting past victims. These types of scams are effective because the original scammers keep track of people who proved to be naive and trusting and fell victim to other scam campaigns. 

Victims can still be tricked by recovery scammers because of their persuasive tactics, even if the victim is vigilant.

WARNING: Rexxfield will almost NEVER initiate contact with victims of cybercrime, we will only respond to your contact request. The only exception is when you have been identified as a co-victim of a case we are already working on. In such cases we will provide you with references in law enforcement who are working the case with us. You can then contact that agent to verify identity, by calling the phone number listed on the government web page, such as this FBI field office locator: 

www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/

How money recovery phishing scams work

The common theme of these money recovery phishing scams is the scammers posing as a money recovery firm, law office, or a special government task force. Someone who helps people recover stolen funds. They contact their victims via phone or email and ask them to fill out fake paperwork. This is to make the story appear as legitimate as possible. They also demand an up-front payment that supposedly covers the processing fees. 

Through this fake paperwork, the scammers not only steal the identification details of these people but sometimes also request remote access to the victims’ devices to allegedly look for traces left by the original scammer. In other cases, they contact people who haven’t been scammed, presenting them with a range of potential recovery amounts. If victims believe they will recover a significant sum, they will give away money, personal details, and even remote device access to the threat actors.

Often these fraudsters use an organization name with words like ‘complaint’, ‘scam’, or ‘review’. 

What to do as a victim

If you are a victim of online fraud, we advise you to report this fraud immediately. 

United States: Report to the FTC via their website, or by phone at 1-877-382-4357

Australia or New Zealand: Report to IDCare, the official national identity, and cyber support service.

United Kingdom: Report to the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre, through their online reporting tool or call 0300 123 2040. 

Reporting phishing emails and text messages to these appropriate agencies helps track bad actors. Reporting also prevents other people from being scammed and possibly leads to compensation for registered and validated victims.

Contact your bank and card issuer if you suspect a scam. Ask them to monitor your account for fraud.

If you fall victim to a phishing scam or crypto scam, our investigators can help you recover your funds. 

Help recover my funds