What are the red flags of this scam?

They contacted you first — usually after you posted about your loss on Reddit, Facebook, or filed a CAFC report • They ask for an upfront fee, retainer, tax, escrow deposit, or 'legal cost' before any recovery work begins • They claim to be from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, RCMP, OSC, Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), or FCAC — none of these agencies ever charges victims a fee to recover funds • They show fake blockchain screenshots proving 'your funds are frozen at exchange X' — but you have to pay before the release • They promise a specific recovery percentage or a guaranteed timeline — no real recovery attempt can do that • Payment demanded in cryptocurrency, Interac e-Transfer to a personal email, or wire to an unfamiliar bank

What should I do if this happened to me?

Assume anyone who contacts you offering to recover scam losses is a follow-up scam. Do not pay any fee, ever • Real recovery: file with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and your local police. Neither charges a fee. Chargeback with your bank if payment was by card • For crypto losses: report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the exchange you used — legitimate exchanges have their own compliance / recovery processes at no cost • Never give a 'recovery firm' your bank login, wallet seed phrase, or a copy of your ID and driver's licence — they will use them to open more accounts in your name • If you already paid a recovery fee, treat that as a second fraud and add it to your CAFC report — same case number, same crew usually • Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.

HIGH investment Last reported: Oct 25, 2026 Share

Someone offers to help you recover money you lost to a previous scam — for a fee

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. After you've reported or complained about a scam publicly, a "recovery agent," "asset recovery specialist," "blockchain forensics firm," or fake CAFC / OSC / RCMP officer contacts you offering to get your money back — for an upfront fee, "tax", or "escrow deposit". They are the same crew, or work with them. No real recovery service works this way.

After you've reported or complained about a scam publicly, a "recovery agent," "asset recovery specialist," "blockchain forensics firm," or fake CAFC / OSC / RCMP officer contacts you offering to get your money back — for an upfront fee, "tax", or "escrow deposit". They are the same crew, or work with them. No real recovery service works this way.

Also known as: fake asset recovery Canada, crypto recovery scam, CAFC impersonation recovery scam, blockchain forensics scam

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 Assume anyone who contacts you offering to recover scam losses is a follow-up scam. Do not pay any fee, ever
2 Real recovery: file with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and your local police. Neither charges a fee. Chargeback with your bank if payment was by card
3 For crypto losses: report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the exchange you used — legitimate exchanges have their own compliance / recovery processes at no cost
4 Never give a 'recovery firm' your bank login, wallet seed phrase, or a copy of your ID and driver's licence — they will use them to open more accounts in your name
5 If you already paid a recovery fee, treat that as a second fraud and add it to your CAFC report — same case number, same crew usually
6 Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.

Red flags

⚠ They contacted you first — usually after you posted about your loss on Reddit, Facebook, or filed a CAFC report
⚠ They ask for an upfront fee, retainer, tax, escrow deposit, or 'legal cost' before any recovery work begins
⚠ They claim to be from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, RCMP, OSC, Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), or FCAC — none of these agencies ever charges victims a fee to recover funds
⚠ They show fake blockchain screenshots proving 'your funds are frozen at exchange X' — but you have to pay before the release
⚠ They promise a specific recovery percentage or a guaranteed timeline — no real recovery attempt can do that
⚠ Payment demanded in cryptocurrency, Interac e-Transfer to a personal email, or wire to an unfamiliar bank

Known variants

Fake CAFC officer variant: caller claims to be from the CAFC with a case number for your prior loss — but needs a 'court fee' or 'seizure release fee' first. CAFC never charges victims. Active Oct 2026: fraudsters contact previous victims by phone, email, or social media using details from earlier complaints; may send fake letters with CAFC logo.

Last seen: 10/11/2026
'Blockchain forensics' recovery variant: emails or Telegram messages from a supposed crypto tracing / forensics firm offer to recover your Bitcoin or Ethereum sent to a scam wallet. They ask for an upfront retainer plus a share of recovered funds, then vanish after the first payment. No forensics firm can force a recovery from a scam wallet.

Last seen: 6/30/2026
Bank impersonation recovery variant: victims of prior unregistered crypto platforms are contacted by fraudsters impersonating Union Bancaire Privée (UBP) or other banks, claiming funds were traced and frozen — a 'compliance deposit' or 'tax' must be paid to release them. OSC and AMF Québec joint alert August 2026. UBP has no connection to these individuals.

Last seen: 9/11/2026

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Known variants

Sources