After a fake broker, the second act often sounds technical. Someone claiming to be a recovery firm or “dispute specialist” tells you the stolen coins were found, but you must open a special wallet that supports a tool branded RSRCHBLOCK — sometimes paired with a site name such as Boneblox. The dashboard looks official. Then come the invoices: a tax in a third country, a mixing fee because the coins are “dirty”, a clearance charge so the freeze can lift.
Reader reports describe exactly that ladder — large “tax” payments first, then another five-figure demand — while an independent check of the wallet showed nothing to withdraw. Similar clone-wallet names rotate; the plot does not. Public blockchain transfers do not get reversed by a private brand asking you to top up. Legitimate investigators do not need your seed phrase, remote access, or a sequence of mystery fees to “unlock” funds that somehow only they can see.
Treat any wallet you did not choose yourself, from a brand you cannot independently verify, as hostile. Do not create the account they dictate. Do not send “tax” or “mixing” crypto to addresses they provide. Do not paste a recovery phrase into their site “for protocol confirmation”. If you already paid one fee, a second fee is not progress — it is the product.
Preserve chats, domains and transaction hashes, stop the conversation, and use official reporting routes rather than another private “processor”.
If this matches a pitch you received, start at Get help. Read Fake recovery before you pay anyone who promises to reverse 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.