How to check a scam money recovery offer
Pause any recovery payment and verify the person through contact details you find independently. Treat release fees and guaranteed refunds as warning signs. Contact your bank through a trusted channel and use its formal complaints procedure if its handling is unsatisfactory. Supplier checks in China can be supported by Cambridge China Bridge.
Keep the recovery offer separate from the bank case
Someone contacts you after a Chinese shopping scam and says they can recover your money. Knowing the seller, payment amount or complaint reference does not establish their identity. Government guidance warns that recovery fraudsters may know convincing details but demand an upfront fee. Do not send money or your full evidence file while checking the approach.
Contact your bank immediately using its app, card or an existing statement. Tell it about the original loss and the new recovery approach. Our supplier bank transfer fraud guide covers urgent recall requests and preserving payment evidence; keep that work moving while you check the recovery offer.
Verify the person through an independent channel
Ask for the person's full name, employer, role, business address and written explanation of the proposed work. Find the organisation's website and contact details independently, rather than using their message, attachment or search advert. Call its main office and ask it to confirm the person, the offer and any payment instructions. If they claim to represent your bank or a public body, contact that organisation directly.
Compare the business details with Companies House where applicable, but also confirm that the sender actually represents that business. A copied registration document, logo or staff name does not complete this check. Ask how they obtained your details and what recovery method they propose. Record what the independently contacted organisation confirms and leave unresolved claims marked as unverified.
Challenge advance fees and release charges
Stop if the offer requires a tax payment, release charge, security deposit or refundable processing fee before supposedly recovered money can reach you. Ask who holds the money, what evidence establishes that and why payment is needed. Verify those answers directly with the institution named. A screenshot showing a recovered balance is not sufficient evidence.
Treat guaranteed recovery, repeated new charges, personal payment accounts and instructions to mislead your bank as reasons to stop. If you independently seek professional advice, ask for written scope, fees and cancellation terms; distinguish payment for defined work from a demand to unlock money. Our sourcing scam guide covers the original supplier and payment warning signs.
Use your bank's formal complaint route
If you are unhappy with the bank's handling, follow its official complaints procedure. Find this through your existing banking channel and ask where to send a written complaint. State that it is a formal complaint about the handling of a suspected scam payment. Include the payment details, when you alerted the bank, its responses and the specific action or decision you want reconsidered.
Keep the acknowledgement, complaint reference and written outcome. Ask the bank to identify the applicable response deadline and explain its assessment of your business payment and payment route. Do not assume a fraud case reference also records a formal complaint. Our payment provider complaint guide covers escalation in more detail.
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Escalate carefully and protect your information
Government guidance says you can usually take a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you are unhappy with the financial company's response. Before relying on that route, check whether your business and complaint are eligible and which referral deadlines apply. Read our business payment complaint guide and keep the bank's written response with your evidence.
Do not give a recovery contact banking passwords, security codes or remote access to your device. If you have already paid them, alert your bank and preserve the new messages and payment records. Report the suspected recovery fraud separately from the original loss. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can help check the genuine supplier and order position; they cannot promise a bank recovery.
Frequently asked questions
Is someone who knows my scam details genuine?
That knowledge does not prove identity. Find the claimed organisation's contact details independently and ask it to confirm the person and offer before sharing documents or paying.
Should I pay a fee to release recovered money?
Pause payment. Verify directly with the institution supposedly holding the funds. Treat a release charge or refundable deposit demanded by an unsolicited recovery contact as a warning sign.
How do I complain to my bank about a scam?
Use the bank's official complaints procedure. Submit a written formal complaint explaining the payment, its handling and the outcome you want. Keep the acknowledgement and written response.
Can my business use the Financial Ombudsman?
Check whether your business and complaint are eligible, and confirm the referral deadlines. Keep the bank's written response. Do not assume that a Chinese seller or overseas payment guarantees reimbursement.