#uk-scams

FCA impersonation recovery scam: are these emails from the real watchdog or just another trick?

I really need some help and advice here, I'm honestly so stressed out. A few months ago, I fell for a pretty bad investment scam, lost a significant amount of my savings, like, low five figures. It was a horrible experience, still makes my stomach churn just thinking about it. Now, I'm getting these emails, pretty official-looking, supposedly from the FCA (the Financial Conduct Authority) here in the UK. They're saying they've identified me as a victim of a scam and that they're working to recover funds. They've even mentioned the name of the scam company I reported. But then, they ask me to pay an 'administrative fee' or 'tax clearance' to release the funds, and it needs to be wired to an international account. They even gave me a phone number that sounds very legitimate when I called. My partner thinks it's another scam preying on me, but what if it's real? What if I miss my chance to get something back? Has anyone else experienced this? How do you know if it's genuinely the FCA?