Recovery Scam Prevention Guide for 2026

Recovery and chargeback-support scams are high-risk because they target people who have already lost money. Current public threat intelligence shows these scams are tightly linked: after an initial fraud, actors contact victims and promise to recover funds for an upfront fee. They may impersonate regulators, law enforcement, banks, or “chargeback specialists.” Contact commonly arrives through phone calls, email, text messages, social media, or web forms. ## Warning signals to check

1. You are contacted unexpectedly after losing money in a prior scam.
2. The person claims they can recover your funds, reverse a payment, or handle a chargeback.
3. They ask for an upfront fee before any recovery happens.
4. They claim to represent a regulator, police agency, bank, or chargeback service.
5. The approach comes through phone, email, text, social media, or a web form you did not independently verify.

## What to do before responding

6. Do not pay any advance fee for “recovery” or “chargeback support.”
7. Stop the conversation if the contact was unsolicited, even if they know details of your earlier loss.
8. Contact your bank or card issuer using the number on your card or official statement, not contact details provided by the caller or message.
9. Verify any claimed regulator or law-enforcement contact through the agency’s official website or published phone number.
10. Save messages, caller IDs, emails, web links, and payment requests in case you need to report them.

## Safer recovery path Use only official bank, card issuer, or regulator channels when seeking help after fraud. Be especially cautious in 2026 if someone says they can recover money quickly but requires payment first. Verify suspicious content in one scan with ScamBuster AI.

Most common warning signals

• Recovery and chargeback-support scams are high-risk because they target people who have already lost money.
• Current public threat intelligence shows these scams are tightly linked: after an initial fraud, actors contact victims and promise to recover funds for an upfront fee.
• They may impersonate regulators, law enforcement, banks, or “chargeback specialists.” Contact commonly arrives through phone calls, email, text messages, social media, or web forms.

What to do now

Further reading

• 2026 Tax Refund Scam: Suspicious Domain Warning
• High-Risk Account Link Scam Warning for 2026
• 2026 Guide: How to Handle Crypto-Themed Screen Messages Safely

FAQ