“We've recovered your funds — pay the release fee”: the scam that follows a scam
Losing money to a scam puts you on a list, and the list is sold. Weeks or months later a call, email or Facebook message arrives from someone who knows exactly what happened: the platform's name, the amount, the date. They've been investigating. They've traced the funds. The money is frozen and recoverable — there's just a fee. ASIC and the National Anti-Scam Centre both warn about this; the engine behind this site recognises the script as its own category, because it is sent almost exclusively to people who have already lost once.
Why it works
Because the details are real. They came from the original scammer, or from a list traded between crews. Knowing the platform and the amount feels like proof of an investigation; it's proof of a spreadsheet. And because the victim wants it to be true more than they've ever wanted anything. That's what's being sold.
The tells
- A fee before the money. The only tell you need. Frozen funds don't need a fee to release; if a fee could be deducted from them, it would be. Every real avenue — bank recall, AFCA, IDCARE, police — costs nothing.
- They contacted you. Real recovery starts with you ringing your bank. Investigators don't cold-call victims with good news.
- Government or regulator names on a private company. “ASIC Recovery Division”, “AFP Asset Recovery”, a “licensed recovery agent”. ASIC doesn't recover money for individuals. The AFP doesn't ring you about it. There is no licence for recovery agents.
- Crypto, PayID or a transfer to a person. The fee is always paid the same way the original loss was. That's not a coincidence.
- A deadline. “Before the freeze expires.” Real recoveries are slow and no one is racing a clock on your behalf.
Who actually helps, and what it costs
- Your bank can attempt a recall on a transfer and a chargeback on a card. Free. Speed is everything; ring the number on your card the day you realise.
- AFCA (afca.org.au) hears complaints against banks if you believe they should have stopped or reversed a payment. Free. Slow, honest, sometimes wins. See what the odds really are.
- IDCARE (1800 595 160) helps with the identity side and will tell you what's realistic. Free.
- Scamwatch and ReportCyber take the report that feeds investigations and, occasionally, coordinated recoveries. Free.
A genuine lawyer may take a case, and will tell you in writing what they charge and why; but they'll also tell you that recovering money sent overseas or into crypto is rare, because it is. Anyone confident it's already found is lying.
The person you worry about
A parent who lost money and told no one is the perfect target for the second act, because the recovery call offers a way to undo the thing they're ashamed of before anyone finds out. Is it a scam? answers the recovery email in about ten seconds — nobody charges a fee to return your money — and the family is told at the same time, which means the first loss surfaces too. That's a hard conversation and a much cheaper one. Paste any message into the free checker.
Common questions
Can a recovery service really get my money back?
Genuine recovery goes through your bank, AFCA, IDCARE and the police, all free. Private 'recovery agencies' that contact you and ask for a fee first are a scam, usually run by the people who took the money. A real lawyer will quote fees in writing and tell you honestly that overseas or crypto recoveries are rare.
They knew the exact amount I lost and the platform. How, if they're not investigating?
From the original scammer. Victim details are traded between scam crews and sold as lists precisely because knowing the amount makes the recovery call convincing. It proves they have your record, not that they have your money.
They said the fee can't be deducted from frozen funds. Is that plausible?
No. If funds were genuinely frozen and recoverable, a fee could be taken from them on release. The demand for the fee upfront is the whole point of the contact.
Does ASIC or the AFP recover money for individuals?
No. ASIC regulates financial services and warns about scams; it doesn't return money to individuals. The AFP investigates crime; it doesn't ring victims offering recoveries. Anyone using those names to ask you for a fee is impersonating them.
What should I do if I've paid a recovery fee?
Stop paying, regardless of what they say the next step is. Ring your bank about a recall on the fee, report it to Scamwatch mentioning the original loss as well, and call IDCARE on 1800 595 160. Then tell someone you trust; the isolation is how both scams worked.
The second scam is aimed at the shame of the first.
Is it a scam? answers a recovery email in about ten seconds — nobody charges to return your money — and tells the family at the same time, which is when the first loss finally gets help. One Australian number, no app.
Set this up for someoneWant to check something now? Do that free, no sign-up. Already happened? Start here.