Account Recovery Scams: Fake Hackers, Hotlines and Support Accounts

People who just lost an account or money are the main target. Scammers find them in comments, in search results and on lists of past victims.

• Recovery hackers who reply to your posts or DM you, saying they can get any account back for a fee.
• Fake support phone numbers that show up at the top of search results or in sponsored ads.
• Fake Meta Support or Instagram Support accounts. Instagram says it will never send you a DM about your account.
• Paid recovery and tracing firms that charge upfront, then stop answering or ask for more money.
• Fake police, FBI agents or law firms who say they found your money and can get it back.

• They contacted you first.
• They want a fee first, called a retainer fee, processing fee or something similar.
• They want payment by gift card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer or a payment app.
• They ask for your password, a code, backup codes or a photo of your ID.
• They guarantee you will get your account or money back.

• The platform's own help pages and forms. Only the platform can restore your account.
• On Instagram, real messages about your account appear in the Emails from Instagram tab in your settings.
• Government agencies and real organizations never ask for money to help you get a refund.
• The IC3 does not work with law firms, crypto services or any non-police group to recover lost money, and does not recover funds through Facebook, Telegram or similar platforms.
• The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre does not contact people to ask for money.

1. 1
   Type the address yourself instead of clicking a search result. Skip anything marked sponsored.Read to them:“Type the address yourself instead of clicking a search result. Skip anything marked sponsored.”source
2. 2
   Look up an agency's or company's contact details yourself. Do not use a number someone gives you.Read to them:“Look up an agency's or company's contact details yourself. Do not use a number someone gives you.”source
3. 3
   Contact companies through their official website, not links in emails or texts.Read to them:“Contact companies through their official website, not links in emails or texts.”source
4. 4
   Use our official links page, which lists each platform's own recovery, report and appeal pages.Read to them:“Use our official links page, which lists each platform's own recovery, report and appeal pages.”

1. 1
   Contact your bank, card company or payment app right away and ask it to stop or reverse the payment. The sooner you act, the better.Read to them:“Contact your bank, card company or payment app right away and ask it to stop or reverse the payment. The sooner you act, the better.”source
2. 2
   If you shared a password or code, change that password and sign out other devices from the platform's own security settings.Read to them:“If you shared a password or code, change that password and sign out other devices from the platform's own security settings.”
3. 3
   Do not send more money, even if they say it is the last fee.Read to them:“Do not send more money, even if they say it is the last fee.”source
4. 4
   Report it to your country's fraud service, listed below. If someone pretended to be the IC3, report that at ic3.gov too.Read to them:“Report it to your country's fraud service, listed below. If someone pretended to be the IC3, report that at ic3.gov too.”source

• Recovery and re-victimisation scams How it works
• Fake asset recovery services How it works
• Fake refunds for a past scam How it works
• Fake tech support pop-ups and numbers How it works
• Fake support numbers in search ads How it works