Offered to recover lost money, for a fee

• Unexpected contact that already knows how much you lost and to whom.
• Talk of 'frozen funds', 'asset recovery', or 'hackers who can reverse the transaction'.
• An upfront fee, 'processing tax', or gas fee before anything is released.
• Pressure to keep it quiet from your bank or the police.

The people who took your money know exactly what you lost and how much you want it back, because they're often the same people or bought the list from them. Hope makes the fee feel like a small price. Real recoveries come from your bank, the card network, or law enforcement, and none of them charge you upfront.

• Don't pay anything to anyone who promises to get money back.
• Legitimate help is free: your bank, the payment app, reportfraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov.
• If you were contacted, add the number here so the next person sees it.
• Tell someone you trust. Being targeted twice isn't a personal failing. It's how these lists work.

More in the tips: Investment chats and the long con.