Someone offers to help you recover money you lost to a previous scam — for a fee
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
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Fake CAFC officer variant: caller claims to be from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and says a case has been opened for your prior loss — but they need a 'court fee', 'legal deposit', or 'seizure release fee' before returning the funds. CAFC never charges victims and never phones you asking for money.
Last seen: 5/20/2026
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'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