Scam victims targeted for SECOND time by fraudsters who claim they can recover cash

Scam victims targeted for SECOND time by fraudsters who claim they can recover cash Almost one in five of all scams reported in 2025 mentioned a form of recovery room scam - we explain how this type of fraud works and what you can do to protect yourself Scam victims are being urged to stay alert against fraudsters who specifically go after people who have lost money in the past. A new Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to the FCA by TransUnion has found that almost one in five (17%) of all scams reported in 2025 mentioned a form of recovery room scam. In this type of scams, criminals falsely promise to help get back money lost to a previous scam in exchange for an upfront fee. It is often the case that scammers pretend to be trusted professionals or official authorities to gain trust. As many as 70% of these recovery room scams were associated with cryptocurrencies in 2025, the FOI showed. FCA impersonation (26%) was the most reported scam type, followed by recovery rooms (17%) and cryptocurrency scams (14%). Madhu Kejriwal, chief executive officer of TransUnion UK and Europe said: “Unfortunately, there is a whole market of scams that target people who have already been defrauded. "Once you’ve been a victim, fraudsters can seize the opportunity to target you a second time, and in a lot of cases, this can be effective because they hold verified information on the individual from the original scam. “In the case of cryptocurrency scams, there is often no obvious route to recover lost funds, unlike traditional banking fraud, where customers can seek assistance from their bank. This naturally opens up an opportunity for criminals to pose as recovery agents.” Protect yourself from scammers Always be wary if you receive a call or message out of the blue - particularly if the person is claiming that you could be owed money or your money is at risk. If you receive a call, email or message from someone claiming to be a legitimate company, contact the company yourself using a number or website you trust, never one provided in the message or in the call itself. Protect your personal information by limiting what you share on social media and being cautious about who you share personal details with over the phone or email. Use multi-factor authentication, particularly for banking, email, and any account linked to payments, as this adds an extra layer of security to your account.