Start with the right question
People who have already lost money may receive convincing offers of assistance. The offer can reference the original incident, use official-looking branding, or promise a guaranteed result. Build a verification record before paying, signing, or sharing account access.
Work through the checks
Identify the claimed organization
Record the name, website, contact details, and claimed role. Find an independent official source for the organization. Do not rely on a registration image or a link supplied by the person contacting you.
Examine the requested action
Note upfront fees, taxes, deposits, remote access, identity documents, or credential requests. A promise that payment will release recovered funds should be verified through the actual institution said to hold them.
Check the underlying claim
Ask what case, transaction, or official process supports the recovery claim and verify it independently. A screenshot of a balance or a blockchain transaction does not establish that the sender controls recoverable funds for you.
Keep contact separate
Preserve the new offer as a separate incident linked to the original loss. Do not modify the original account to match the recovery seller's story or sign statements you cannot verify.
A record you can use
- Offer and sender
- Claimed authority
- Requested fee or access
- Independent verification
- Decision and report reference
Keep this record locally. Use document references rather than publishing account numbers or other people's personal details. An empty field means the information is still missing; it should not be filled with an AI guess.
Worked example
A fictional person who lost $600 receives an offer to recover it for a $150 release fee. The sender knows the original amount but cannot be verified through the claimed institution. The person preserves the messages and does not interpret that knowledge as proof of legitimate access to the funds.
This example is fictional and illustrates the method, not a real case result.
Limits and next steps
Do not make a payment or provide sensitive access based on this checklist alone. No guide can guarantee whether a particular offer is genuine from its appearance. Use verified official channels and qualified advice where needed.
Consult the FTC's scam guidance and report suspicious contacts through appropriate official processes. Keep the original provider's case number handy and ask that provider directly about any claimed recovery.