You can tell people over and over and over again to NEVER give strangers money or finanacial information but many people don’t get the message or don’t think it’ll happen to them and then it does.
Now, it’s happening twice to many of these same people.
People who have already lost money to a scam can become targets for another one. These are referred to as, “recovery scams,” and the criminals claim they can get the victim’s money back — but first demand a fee or sensitive financial information.
The Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers may buy or share information about people who have previously been defrauded, knowing they could be vulnerable to another pitch.
These scams can start with a phone call, email, text or social media message. The person may claim to work for a government agency, law firm or consumer group and say the lost money has been located.
There’s usually a catch: Victims are told they must pay a processing fee, tax or other charge before the money can be returned. Scammers may also request bank account details, Social Security numbers or other personal information.
The FBI has warned about criminals even pretending to represent its Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3. The FBI says IC3 will never charge people to recover lost money or recommend a recovery company that does.
An unexpected request for money is a major red flag, especially if the scammer wants payment through cryptocurrency, gift cards, cash, wire transfers or payment apps.
If someone claims to represent a government agency, contact that agency using information you find yourself — not a phone number provided by the caller.
If you’ve already been scammed, report online fraud to IC3 as soon as possible and contact the bank, credit card company or payment service you used to see if the transaction can be reversed.
And be especially cautious of anyone who contacts you afterward promising to recover your money. Knowing exactly how you lost the money doesn’t make them legitimate — it could mean they already have information about you.
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