Refund and recovery scam : fonctionnement, signaux et que faire
Social engineering · alto
After a scam, the victim is approached by someone posing as a government agency, law firm or consumer group promising to recover lost money, prizes or merchandise. According to the FTC, scammers buy lists of people who have previously paid scammers, including name, contact details, type of scam and amount paid, and use those details to build a believable story.
Contact is often repeated and ends with a request for an upfront payment labeled as a fee, tax or shipping charge, or for financial information. There are cases of fake FTC employees sending a photo of an ID badge over WhatsApp. The FTC states that legitimate organizations will never charge you to recover a refund.
Sinais / Signs
- Contact offering to recover money from an earlier scam
- Detailed knowledge of what you lost
- Upfront fees, taxes or shipping charges
- A supposed government agent texting or using WhatsApp
- A photo of an ID badge sent to "prove" identity
Prevenção / Prevention
- Remember legitimate organizations don't charge to recover refunds
- Be skeptical of recovery offers you didn't ask for
- Verify identity by calling the official agency yourself
- Don't send documents or bank details to someone who contacted you
- Follow up on your original report through official channels
O que fazer / What to do
- Try to cancel or reverse the payment as soon as possible
- Tell your bank if you shared financial details
- Report it to the FTC and your state attorney general
- Outside the US, report to police and your country's official channel
FAQ
Can the FTC contact me to return my money?
The FTC says a real employee won't contact you by text or WhatsApp, won't send a photo of an ID, and won't offer to recover money you lost in a scam.
How do they know so much about my case?
According to the FTC, scammers buy lists of previous victims containing those details.
Scripps News - FTC consumer alert on refund and recovery scams (2026) · FTC - Consumer alert on scammers impersonating FTC employees · FTC - ReportFraud