Some recovery funnels borrow the language of public interest: “official resource”, a crest-like logo, talk of grants, and a headline aimed only at people who already lost money to brokers, lawyers, or investment projects. One specimen pitches itself as a fund against “fakes”. The domain looks nothing like a government portal. The first job of the page is to capture a name and a phone number.
A light check usually finds no solid legal entity, no named officers you can verify, and no independent history — only urgency and the promise of help funded by someone else. The second act is familiar from refund scams worldwide: a “tax”, bank commission, insurance deposit, or lawyer fee appears before any money can supposedly return. Real public bodies and genuine legal aid do not cold-harvest victims through lookalike foundations and then invoice in crypto.
If you were already cheated once, you are a valuable contact list entry. Do not submit the form. Do not send documents or remote-access apps. Use the routes on Get help and read Fake recovery before you speak to anyone who found you because of the first loss.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal or financial advice. Details change. If you have lost money, contact your bank or card issuer and use the routes on the help pages.