One of the cruellest patterns we see is the second scam: someone who has already lost money to crypto fraud is contacted by a “recovery agency” that promises to get it all back — for a fee. It is a different crew running the same playbook on a known victim.
Why victims are targeted again
Victim lists circulate among fraud operators. If you have paid once, you are flagged as someone who can be persuaded to pay again, often when you are most desperate.
The tell-tale signs of a recovery scam
- An up-front fee paid in gift cards or crypto to “activate,” “comply,” or “release” your funds.
- Claims of a special contact at an exchange, regulator or blockchain-analytics firm who can “force” a refund.
- A guarantee of full recovery — real investigators never promise outcomes.
- A constantly moving finish line: one more fee and it is done.
- An “agency” with no verifiable registration, address or track record.
How legitimate recovery is different
Genuine recovery is paid transparently for investigative work, never as an anonymous wallet deposit to an “agent.” There are no guarantees, the limits of tracing are explained up front, and you are never pressured.
If someone contacted you out of the blue promising to recover a previous loss, treat it as a fresh scam until proven otherwise.
Think you have been targeted? IntelliCtech traces stolen crypto on-chain and helps victims pursue recovery. Submit your case for a free review, browse our recovery case studies, or search the Blacklisted Brokers database.