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Scam Refunds and Money Recovery Guide: Get Money Back Safely

Maybe you already lost money to a scam, and now someone has called, texted or messaged with a promise to get it back. That offer can feel like your only hope, and that is exactly why it works on people.

Maybe the message came from a government agency, a law firm or the company that took your money in the first place. The pattern is the same either way, and it has a clear answer.

Here is the honest answer. Anyone who asks you to pay an upfront fee to recover your money is a scammer, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This guide shows you how to stop more money leaving, how to report it, and how to check any recovery offer before you pay.

Affiliate disclosure: Links on this page may generate a commission if you buy through them.

Upfront fees The FTC says government agencies and legitimate organizations never ask for money to help you get a refund.
Account details They never ask for your Social Security, bank, card or other financial account numbers to get a refund. Anyone who does is a scammer.
Payment methods Only scammers insist on cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers or a payment app.
Guaranteed refunds Legitimate organizations will not guarantee that you will get your money back.
Overpayment checks A refund check for more than you lost is always a scam. A bank can take weeks to find that a check was fake, and then it will want back any money you sent.
Where to report ReportFraud.ftc.gov and your state attorney general.

Step 1: Recognize the refund or recovery scam

You are here if someone contacted you after you already paid a scammer. Scammers often come back for people who have been hurt once.

The FTC describes the pattern. Scammers buy “sucker lists” of people who have paid scammers, with names, phone numbers, the kind of scam and how much was paid. They then call, email, text, message or write, claiming to be with a government agency, a consumer group, a law firm or the company that took your money.

The fee often has a respectable name, such as “retainer fee,” “processing fee,” “administrative charge,” “tax” or “shipment and handling charge.” Some ask for your Social Security number or account number so they can deposit a refund. The FTC warns that if you hand over money or account details, your money will disappear and your identity could be stolen.

What this means for you: If the first thing they want is a fee, stop. Do not pay anything to “unlock” or “release” your refund.

Read next

How Scamming Works: Methods, Red Flags and What to Do: how these false stories are built and how to spot them early.

Once you know what the offer is, the money you have not lost yet still needs protecting.

Step 2: Stop more money from leaving

You are here if you have already sent money and want to act fast. The FTC says the sooner you act, the better, because scammers often ask for payment in ways that are quick and hard to undo.

The FTC says the sooner you act, the better because there may be steps to stop or may help address the transaction or get a refund.

Do not send more money to “release” your refund. Do not deposit a check from someone who says they overpaid you and wants the difference back. The FTC says that is always a scam, and a bank can take weeks to find out a check was fake.

What this means for you: The FTC says the sooner you act, the better because there may be steps to stop or may help address the transaction.

Read next

Do Banks Refund Scammed Money? Your Next Steps: what to ask your bank and what the payment method changes.

With the payment handled, the next question is who is really on the other end of the offer.

Step 3: Check the recovery offer before you answer again

You are here if a stranger has offered to help you get money back. Before you reply, check who they are.

The FTC says government agencies and legitimate organizations will never ask for money to help you get a refund. Search the organization’s name with words like “complaint,” “scam” or “review.” Check with your state attorney general to see whether others have complained.

For a government agency, look up its phone number yourself and call to confirm the contact. Do not call a number the caller gave you or the number on your caller ID.

What this means for you: For a government agency, find its number yourself and call to confirm the contact.

Read next

How Long Will a Romance Scammer Talk to You?: how these conversations build trust before the money request.

If the contact came through a relationship, the same checks still apply, and you do not need to prove their story is false before you stop.

Step 4: Can you get the money back, and can the scammer be traced?

You are here because you want to know whether recovery is possible at all. The honest answer depends on how you paid and how fast you acted. The FTC does not promise a refund, and it says legitimate organizations will not guarantee one.

Ask your bank or card company how often its disputes succeed and how long they take. Save texts, emails, call logs, receipts and any account or payment details you shared.

The FTC says reports help law enforcement stop these scammers and warn others. Report the contact to the FTC and your state attorney general; do not pay anyone who promises recovery for an upfront fee. For the tracing side, read How to Track Down a Scammer and Get Money Back.

What this means for you: Treat a recovery service that asks for a fee as the scam, whatever it says about its track record.

Read next

How to Track Down a Scammer and Get Your Money Back: what you can and cannot expect from tracing.

Once your records are saved, make the report. It is part of the same record.

Step 5: Report it so the record exists

You are here because you want your loss on record. The FTC says reporting helps law enforcement stop these scammers and alerts others in your community.

Report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and report to your state attorney general. Include the name or number the person used, any website or message details, and how you paid. Do this even if your bank dispute is still open.

What this means for you: The FTC says reports help law enforcement stop scammers and alert others in your community.

Read next

How to Report a Scam to the FTC and Try to Get Money Back: the reporting steps in order.

If your loss began with a health or supplement ad, check that product before you spend more.

Step 6: Check the product or ad that started it

You are here if the first purchase was a product from an ad, a video or a sales page. Before you buy again, check the product itself.

Start by comparing the bottle or package with the brand’s current product page. Buy through the seller the brand lists.

A 2023 narrative review in Innovations in pharmacy counted 79,071 adverse events linked to dietary supplements reported to the FDA’s CFSAN system from 2004 to 2021. The authors argue that supplement oversight should be stricter. It is one review of case reports, so read it as a view on regulation, not a verdict on any one product.

For a plain way to check what a product’s claims rest on, read Ingredient Evidence vs. Marketing Claims. If you are looking at a specific product, these site guides cover it: Pure Lung Reviews, Aveya Hair Growth Spray Reviews, and VisiVra Reviews.

What this means for you: Before you buy a product that came with a refund promise, read the refund terms on the seller’s own page and save a copy.

Read next

How to Identify Fake Supplements: Red Flags and Refund Steps: the checks to run before you pay.

Your next step

  1. If you have paid anyone, call your bank or card company today and ask whether the payment can be stopped or disputed.
  2. Do not pay any upfront fee, and do not share bank, card or Social Security numbers to get a refund.
  3. Report the contact at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general.
  4. Save every text, email, call log, receipt and payment record.
  5. Check any recovery offer by searching the organization’s name with “complaint” or “scam,” and call agencies on a number you find yourself.
  6. Before buying any product you were pitched, read the refund terms on the seller’s page and compare them with the brand’s current page.

Every guide on this topic

If you already paid someone

Scam patterns and red flags

Health and supplement product checks

Fake news, deepfake and impersonation checks

By NHINWatch.com Investigations Desk