Report
EN
Scam DatabaseScam NewsBlogStoriesGuidesRecoveryResourcesAboutDonateSign in
All briefings

Daily brief — August 9, 2026

Recovery Scams Re-Target Victims; AI Powers Romance-Investment Cons

This week's active threats: fake 'refund helpers' preying on past victims, a persistent toll-text smishing wave, and AI-driven romance-investment fraud draining six-figure sums.

Published August 9, 2026

Key points

  • The FTC's newest consumer alert (Aug 3) specifically warns about fake 'refund/recovery' services targeting people who've already been scammed.
  • The FBI has separately confirmed it does not contact people offering to recover scam losses for a fee — anyone claiming otherwise is impersonating them.
  • Toll-payment smishing texts remain a large, ongoing nationwide campaign; AVASC's data shows it still active as of early July.
  • AI is now used to run thousands of simultaneous fake romance/investment relationships, driving pig-butchering losses into the billions of dollars.
  • Common thread across all three: urgency, upfront payment demands, and impersonation of trusted names (government agencies, the FBI/IC3, romantic partners).

If you've already been scammed, you're being targeted again

The FTC issued a fresh consumer alert this week aimed squarely at people who've already lost money to a scam. Refund and recovery scammers buy lists of people who've already been scammed, hoping they can be scammed again. They often claim to be with a government agency, a consumer advocacy group, or a law firm — but it's all a lie — before asking for an upfront "retainer" or "processing fee." The FTC's guidance is blunt: never pay up front for a refund or for help getting one, and no legitimate agency or organization will ever ask for money or financial info in exchange for help getting a refund.

This lines up exactly with what AVASC's own database has been tracking: prior victims are contacted by fake recovery firms and people impersonating the FBI/IC3 promising to recover lost funds for an upfront fee — and the FBI has publicly confirmed it does not operate this way. The FBI has also issued its own updated notice warning that criminal scammers are impersonating FBI personnel facilitating Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) complaints to deceive and revictimize individuals.

Toll-text scams keep moving state to state

Fake "unpaid toll" text messages remain one of the most reported smishing campaigns in the country. The scheme uses fake payment demands and has exploited more than 10,000 newly registered lookalike domains to steal personal and financial information, with the FBI noting the link is created to impersonate the state's toll service name, and phone numbers change between states. Cumulative IC3 complaints on this single scam type have run into the tens of thousands.

AVASC's tracking through early July shows the same nationwide pattern still active, with multiple state DOTs and courts issuing their own public warnings. The core tell hasn't changed: an unexpected text about a tiny toll balance, a countdown-style late fee threat, and a payment link that isn't the toll agency's real site.

AI is industrializing romance-investment fraud

So-called "pig butchering" scams — where a fraudster builds a fake romance or friendship before steering the victim into a bogus crypto platform — are now running at industrial scale with AI doing much of the work. Cryptocurrency addresses associated with pig-butchering operations received over USD 9.3 billion in 2025, with the average victim losing USD 178,000 before the fraud was detected or reported. Separately, IC3 data shows crypto-related fraud caused over $11 billion in losses in 2025, and AI-enabled scams are now generating markedly more revenue per operation than traditional scripted scams.

AVASC is seeing the same shift: rings using AI to run thousands of simultaneous romance-investment conversations that funnel victims into fake crypto platforms, with individual losses frequently reaching five and six figures. The giveaway is consistent — a relationship that started online quickly pivots to a "can't-lose" crypto opportunity, and any request to pay a fee, tax, or "unlock charge" before you can withdraw your own money is the clearest sign of the scam.

Protect yourself

  • Never pay an upfront fee to 'recover' money you already lost — the FTC and FBI say legitimate agencies never ask for this.
  • If someone contacts you claiming to be the FBI/IC3 offering to get your funds back, treat it as an impersonation attempt and verify only through ic3.gov directly.
  • Don't click links in unsolicited 'unpaid toll' texts; check your balance only by typing the toll agency's known web address yourself or calling their published customer service number.
  • Be skeptical of any online relationship that moves toward a crypto investment 'opportunity' — a video call or voice note is no longer proof someone is real.
  • Being asked to pay a fee, tax, or 'unlock charge' to withdraw your own investment gains is a hallmark of pig-butchering fraud — stop and report it.
  • Report suspicious texts and calls to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov; reporting quickly can sometimes help authorities freeze funds before they disappear.

Sources

Think you've been targeted by a scam?

Reporting takes just a few minutes. It helps us warn others, strengthens the scam database, and connects you to recovery resources.

Report a scamRecovery resources
This briefing is public-safe intelligence: it surfaces only indicators and patterns that are already public, alongside protective guidance — never a playbook for scammers. AVASC is not a law firm, investigator, or government agency, and this is not legal or financial advice. If you've been targeted, you can report a scam or explore recovery resources.