A follow-up or recovery scam occurs when a scammer contacts someone who has already been scammed, claiming they can help recover the lost funds. Instead, they ask for an upfront fee, often a percentage of the lost money, and then disappear with the payment, leaving the victim with no recovered funds and further losses.
In other words, they prey on the desperation of people who have already been defrauded by promising a way to get their money back. The truth is that the victim at this stage is most vulnerable. Many reported that it felt like their entire world had turned upside down, and the floor had been ripped out from underneath them. Their recent world full of loving and caring conversations, intense attention, and fairy-tale-like love has just disappeared, and they are left with wounds they will carry all through their lives.
Different Scenarios Involving Recovery Scams
After the initial scam, the fraudsters add their victims to their ‘suckers list’ and they may act soon or they may wait for a few years down the line. Either way, the ‘suckers list’ is visited from time to time.
This was the situation in Diane L. Garren’s case, which she discusses in her book, Who’s the Real Man Behind the Screen?. Her scammer came clean and revealed his real face, only to ask for more, claiming that his boss took most of the money he received from her.
In another scenario, scammers actively seek out individuals who have already lost money to another scam, knowing they might be vulnerable to believing promises of recovery.
Fake Ethical Hackers
This is the type of recovery scam I see more because every time I post an article about romance scams with specific hashtags, so-called ethical hackers leave a comment telling they can recover lost funds. I’ve noticed that they all charge you a fee upfront, and I would like to see the money transfer receipt. This is yet another way to get victims’ personal details without delivering any service.
If the victim agrees to use their services, the scammer may use urgency or pressure tactics to convince the victim to send the fee quickly, often requesting wire transfers or cryptocurrency for untraceable transactions. After the fee is paid, the scammer will either disappear completely or provide fabricated updates about the “recovery process” with no real attempt to retrieve the lost funds.
Pretending to be Victims or Victims’ Relatives
In another scenario, scammers claim to be victims or relatives of victims. They say they found someone who helped them recover their money by tracking the scammer. Let me tell you, the people behind these profiles are also scammers, acting like they endorse the fake scam recovery service, and the chances of tracking the scammer are almost zero.
False Legitimacy
Scammers often pose as government agencies, law enforcement, lawyers, or other trusted entities to appear credible and convince the victim to pay a fee to recover the lost funds. They create different accounts to act like these government agencies or lawyers to make their claims look legitimate. They may even be websites.
How to protect yourself from recovery scams:
- Be wary of unsolicited contact. Never trust anyone who contacts you out of the blue, promising to recover money you lost in a scam.
- Never pay upfront fees. Legitimate recovery services typically only charge fees after successfully recovering funds.
- Do your research before engaging with any recovery service. Verify their legitimacy by checking their official websites and contact information.
- Report suspicious activity. If you suspect a recovery scam, report it to the appropriate authorities and to the platform where you were contacted.
Resources:
ACCC (Australian Competition & Consumer Commission)
CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission)
NAB (National Australia Bank)