The FBI has issued a warning about a rising trend where cybercriminals impersonate law firms and lawyers offering cryptocurrency recovery services to victims of investment scams. These scams involve fraudsters claiming to collaborate with government agencies like the FBI and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), as well as referencing legitimate financial institutions and exchanges to gain credibility. The scammers typically request victims to provide personal or banking information, demand upfront payments for recovery services, or ask victims to pay taxes and fees to retrieve their lost funds.
Victims of these scams have collectively lost over $9 million between February 2023 and February 2024, according to statistics from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Despite claims made by these impostors, it’s important to note that no legitimate recovery service would require victims to pay upfront fees or provide extensive personal information without guaranteeing results. The FBI emphasizes that state and federal authorities can track and potentially recover stolen cryptocurrencies under specific circumstances, but they do not charge for these services nor initiate contact to request personal details or payments.
To protect themselves, individuals are advised to conduct thorough research on any company claiming to recover lost crypto assets before sharing personal information or making payments. They should verify the legitimacy of the service provider and refrain from responding to unsolicited requests for financial information. If victimized or suspicious of fraudulent activity, individuals are encouraged to file a report through the IC3 portal, providing detailed information about the scam and financial transactions involved. This proactive approach helps law enforcement in investigating and mitigating these deceptive practices in the cryptocurrency recovery sector.
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