Is 'Payback Ltd' legit? They want a 'due diligence and compliance' fee for my lost funds. Too good to be true?

Been there, felt that. It's truly infuriating when you're already down from one scam and these vultures circle. 'Payback Ltd' is a known name in the recovery scam circuit, sorry to say. I almost fell for something similar, but a friend who's a lawyer here in Rotterdam warned me off. He said legit firms *never* ask for upfront fees for this kind of work, especially not big ones for vague things like 'due diligence.' These guys often get your info because your original scammer sells it to them. It's a double whammy. Cut contact now. Don't even entertain the idea of paying. You'll just lose more.

Sem, I'm really sorry to hear about your initial loss. It's devastating, and it makes you vulnerable to exactly this sort of secondary scam. To be blunt: 'Payback Ltd' raising an upfront 'due diligence and compliance' fee is a classic red flag for a recovery scam. Think about it from a legitimate business perspective. A real recovery firm, especially one dealing with complex financial fraud, would operate on a contingency basis or a success-based fee structure. They'd charge a percentage of what they actually recover, not demand money upfront for 'due diligence' or 'compliance'.

These scammers often get your details because victim lists are sold or traded among criminal networks. The fact they knew about your previous scam isn't evidence of their legitimacy; it's evidence of how sophisticated these secondary scams are getting. My advice? Cease all communication with them immediately. Do not pay another cent. Report their contact to your local police in Tilburg and the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK (where Payback Ltd might claim to be based, even if they're not). You've been targeted because you're a known victim, which makes you a high-value target for them.

Oh man, Sem, that really sucks. You are absolutely right to be paranoid after what you've been through. It takes a lot of courage to even ask these questions when you're feeling vulnerable. My gut feeling — and frankly, pretty much everyone on these forums will tell you this — is that *any* company asking for an upfront fee for recovery is a massive red flag. Like, huge. Real lawyers, real recovery specialists, they typically work on a percentage *after* they get your money back. Not before. Please be so, so careful. It's a horrible situation to be in when you just wanna get your money back.

Look, I dunno, 'due diligence and compliance fee'? That sounds like pure jargon-speak designed to sound important and legitimate. If they're so good, why do they need *your* money to do *their* job? It's like a builder asking you to buy the tools for him before he even lays a brick. Doesn't make sense. And how they knew about your previous scam, that's the kicker for me. Seriously suspicious. I'd be blocking their emails or whatever communication they're using right away.

Ugh, this sounds exactly like what happened to me after I fell for a forex scam last year. I was desperate. Like you, I lost a lot of money – nearly 8,000 SGD. Then some 'recovery' firm contacted me, promising the moon. They asked for an 'administrative fee' to kick things off. I paid it. Then another 'tax clearance' fee. I paid that too, because they showed me these fake 'bank statements' that looked like my money was just waiting. Long story short, I ended up losing another 2,000 SGD to them before my husband finally sat me down and made me see I was just digging a deeper hole. Don't fall for it, Sem. They're preying on your hope.

This is a classic second-layer scam, Sem. The information about your previous loss was probably sold or leaked. These 'recovery' companies, including ones like 'Payback Ltd', are almost always fraudulent. They prey on the desperation of victims. The 'due diligence and compliance' fee is just another fancy name for an advance fee scam. Once you pay that, they'll invent another fee – 'tax clearance', 'release fee', 'security deposit', whatever – until you run out of money or realize what's happening. Your money is gone, I'm so sorry, but paying them again will only compound your loss. Save yourself the further heartbreak and loss.

It's understandable why you'd be cautiously optimistic, Sem. When you've lost money, any glimmer of hope feels huge. But unfortunately, the phrase 'due diligence and compliance fee' for recovery is almost a universal code for 'this is a scam.' Real professionals don't work that way. They get paid when they deliver results. If they're asking for money *before* they've done anything to recover your funds, it's not recovery, it's just another form of theft. Please don't put more of your hard-earned money at risk. It hurts, but sometimes the best thing you can do is cut your losses.

Absolute red flag, Sem! Here in Germany, we see a lot of these. Companies like Payback Ltd are notorious. The moment they ask for an upfront fee – especially something vaguely termed like 'due diligence and compliance' – is when you should run. Hard. You've already been scammed once, and these people are counting on your desperation. They'll sound professional, they'll know details, but it's all part of the act. Your only 'due diligence' now should be blocking them and ensuring you don't send *any* more money. It's a sad truth, but recovering from these types of scams is very, very difficult, and almost never involves paying more money upfront.

Okay, Sem, you've hit on a critical point here – the knowledge of your prior scam makes you think they're legitimate, but it's actually the opposite. In the recovery scam ecosystem, scammer groups often sell lists of 'scammed victims' to other scammer groups. These lists contain your name, contact details, and the amount/type of scam you fell for. This is precisely how 'Payback Ltd' would know your details. They haven't 'tracked' anything in a legitimate sense; they've simply bought a lead. Their request for an upfront 'due diligence and compliance' fee is a classic advance fee fraud. Legitimate recovery requires investigative work and perhaps legal action, but crucially, reputable firms typically work on a no-win, no-fee basis or take a percentage *after* successful recovery. There are very few exceptions, and certainly not for vague administrative fees. The FBI IC3, for instance, would never ask for money. Do not engage further with Payback Ltd. You'll only lose more money.

Totally not legit, dude. The whole 'due diligence and compliance' thing... that's just fancy talk for 'send us more money.' I see this stuff all the time, especially with crypto scams which are even harder to recover from. Anyone asking for money upfront to 'recover' your funds is basically just scamming you again. It's a horrible situation and I'm really sorry it happened to you, but please don't fall for the second wave of predators. Your best bet is to just cut off contact and warn others if you can.