Recovery scams
Fake FBI, IC3 or police contact about your lost money
Someone claiming to be from the FBI, IC3 or the police says your lost money has been found.
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Text Submission
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Flggd Verdict
Scam
Red flag
Flggd found signs in this message that match known scam patterns. Do not reply, click, call or pay.
Likely to be a scam
Yellow flag
It asks you to act: a link, a number, a reply or a payment. Where that request leads is where the harm starts.
Looks normal
Green flag
Flggd found nothing in this message that matches known scam patterns. This is an assessment of the message, not a guarantee. Accounts can be taken over, so if a request seems out of character, check again.
Likely to be a scam
Grey flag
Nothing is asked of you yet. The content, the sender or the intent do not add up. Scams like this start friendly and ask later.
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Score
Scam type
Confidence
Why Flggd says this
What this message wants you to do
Has anything happened yet?
You do not have to answer. Nothing you tap here is sent or recorded, and the verdict above stands either way.
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Nothing has happened yet
Good. Checking first is the safest thing to do. Do not tap any link, reply, or call any number in the message. Block the sender and delete the message. If it claims to be from an organisation you know, contact them using details you already trust.
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You tapped a link
Opening a link does not usually take money or details on its own. The harm comes from what you do on the page it opens. If you entered nothing and installed nothing, close the page and do not go back to it. If it asked you to sign in, enter a code, or install something, and you did, choose Gave details instead.
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You gave details
Work through this in order. First, if you gave bank or card details, call your bank now on the number on your card. Next, change the password for any account you entered, and for any other account that uses the same password. If you shared a one-time code, tell the organisation it belongs to straight away. Then turn on two-step verification where you can, and watch your statements for anything you do not recognise.
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You sent money
Call your bank now, on the number on your card or in your banking app. Say: "I have been scammed and I need to stop a payment." The sooner they hear from you, the more they may be able to stop or recover. In the UK you can call 159 to reach your bank. Do not pay anyone who offers to get the money back. That is another scam.
Report it. US: ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and ic3.gov for online crime. UK: reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040; in Scotland, Police Scotland on 101. Australia: scamwatch.gov.au. Have ready the message, the sender's number or address, and any payment details.
What to do next
Do not reply, click any link, call any number in the message or send money. If it claims to be from an organisation you know, contact them using details you already trust.
Do not reply, click any link, call any number in the message or send money. If it claims to be from an organisation you know, contact them using details you already trust.
No action needed. If the sender later asks for money, codes or personal details, check that message too.
Do not reply at all, not even to say wrong number. A reply tells them the number is live. Block the sender and delete the message. If a request follows, check it again.
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The closest scam in the Flggd library. Similar, not necessarily the same message.
How this scam works
The closest match is the scam described on this page.
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The contact may come by email, phone, text or a messaging app, sometimes with an official-looking letter, a badge, a reference number or a video of a senior official. They often know details of the original scam. To release the money, they ask for a fee, a tax or a "verification" payment. The FBI has warned about fake IC3 staff, fake reference numbers and AI-generated video of senior FBI officials.
No genuine agency, police force or bank charges you a fee to get your money back.
