Someone offers to recover the money I lost to a scammer, for a fee. Is that legit?
No. Nobody can recover money from a scammer for a fee, and anyone who offers to is running a second scam on the same victim, often the same scammer under a new name. Only GCash, your bank and the authorities can try to hold or trace the money, and they do not charge you upfront.
Recovery scammers find victims in scam-warning groups and in comments under scam posts. They say they are hackers, cybercrime agents, lawyers or "GCash recovery" and show fake success stories. The fee is small at first, then there is a "release fee", then a "tax".
How to recognise it
- The offer arrives by itself, in a comment or a private message, after you posted about being scammed.
- The person claims to be from GCash, a bank, the NBI or a law firm but contacts you from a personal account.
- A fee or a deposit is needed before anything happens.
- They ask for your GCash login, MPIN or OTP "to trace the money".
- Only deal with GCash through the app's Help Center, with your bank directly, and with the PNP ACG, the NBI or the CICC hotline 1326.
Frequently asked questions
- I already paid a recovery fee. What now?
- Stop paying. Save the chats and receipts and add them to your report: it is the same case, with a second scammer.
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