Fraud Education and Prevention Articles

Why Scammers Target Victims of Previous Fraud for Their Next Score

Aug 25, 2026

In 2022, California's Katherine Goodson posted on social media about being victimized by a celebrity romance scam.1 Someone posing as Keanu Reeves befriended her online and asked for a $500 gift card to prove she wasn't just interested in him for his money. She sent the funds but immediately realized it was a scam. (Romance scams see more than 24,000 U.S. victims losing a record-high $943 million, according to the "FBI 2025 Internet Crime Report.9)

After sharing her experience online, she received a message from someone claiming to be the real Reeves, saying he read about her ordeal and felt terrible. This time, she and the so-called Reeves kept communicating. They fell in love, she believed. And then she started emptying her bank account for him. It wasn't until she ran out of money and the messages became hostile that she understood she'd fallen for the same scam twice. 

"I was lonely," Goodson told a local news station in 2024. “I don’t blame anyone but myself.”

Experts might say Goodson was being too hard on herself. Chronic victimization — when a scammer targets someone who has already been victimized by fraud — is a well-documented phenomenon. A Philadelphia man lost a combined one million dollars when he was victimized by a romance scam on the heels of a customer service scam in 2025.2 An editorial director for a mental health company was defrauded by a bank impersonation scam after his identity was stolen.3

Some crime victims are likely to become more risk-averse to guard against future scams. For others, the psychological impact of the first scam only primes them for another. Here's what repeat fraud victimization looks like, who scammers tend to target and how to help protect yourself and your loved ones.


Common Repeat Frauds

When scammers target a previous fraud victim, it's often purposeful and strategic. In the case of the Philadelphia man above, the same scammer who pulled off the customer service impersonation maintained contact and committed the romance scam.2 The editorial director mentioned above already knew his identity had been stolen; the scammer took advantage of this by impersonating his bank, pretending to help him recover from the first crime. 

Officials have identified the second example as part of a trend. The Federal Trade Commission calls this one-two-punch a "refund and recovery scam."4 First, a scammer defrauds a victim, then they pretend to be someone coming to help. 

Additionally, according to the "FBI 2025 Internet Crime Report," a major emerging trend highlights repeat victimization through "suckers lists" and recovery scams, where fraudsters — sometimes impersonating the IC3 or government agencies — target previous fraud victims a second time.9

Two 2025 FBI public service announcements warn consumers about specific takes on this approach:

  • Fictitious law firms targeting cryptocurrency scam victims:5 After experiencing a crypto-related fraud, victims receive an offer of help from a scammer posing as a law firm, "exploiting victims' emotional state and financial need to recover funds from a previous scam."

  • FBI impersonators target fraud victims:6 Scammers target victims of a wide range of frauds pretending to be the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The scammer claims they've recovered some of the victim's funds and then defrauds the victim again under the guise of returning the money.

Who Is Likely to Be a Chronic Victim?

At first glance, research suggests that age is the clearest indicator that someone could become a repeat fraud victim. A 2024 National Institute of Justice study from the Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect found that victims in their 70s and 80s were 9% more likely to experience multiple victimization events than those in their 50s.7 

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"I was lonely," said a two-time victim of a celebrity imposter scam. “I don’t blame anyone but myself.”

However, a 2021 qualitative research study dug deeper into the reasons chronic victimization happens and found more nuance.8 Through psychological interviews with victims and their families, researchers identified shared situational factors that appear to increase someone's likelihood of becoming a chronic victim: 

  • A deep need for fulfillment. This may be a need for wealth, romance, or status. Their hope for this need to be fulfilled is so strong that they become "highly entrenched in the hope" that the scam will work out in their favor.

  • A lack of trust with family members. The opportunity to fulfill their need on their own is a powerful motivator for chronic victims. Whether they resent family members and don't want them in their business or are hoping to surprise them with a big windfall (of money, a relationship, or whatever the scam centers on) that they achieved without help, this isolation works in scammers' favor, as it prevents loved ones from seeing red flags.

  • Willingness to take a calculated risk. While they may be rule followers in other areas of their lives, when it comes to their specific fulfillment need, they are willing to take risks to achieve something they believe they deserve.

  • A real or perceived absence of a safety net. If victims are aware of their initial fraud, a sense of shame and anger when family or the government can't provide aid or accountability can exacerbate their fulfillment needs and other situational factors that exposed them to fraud risk in the first place.

  • Aging-related cognitive decline. Researchers note that age-related mental decline cannot be underestimated as a factor in chronic victimization. However, it is only one factor.

How To Protect Yourself and Your Family

Efforts to help a high-risk person become less at risk — such as helping a family member find a sense of fulfillment — are easier said than done. That said, knowing the profile of a chronic victim can help family members understand who among their loved ones could be a likely victim. Red flags include a loved one:8 

  • Experiencing isolation and loneliness, the loss of spouse, life stressors, mobility issues, reliance on others, financial insecurity, physical/mental health changes.
  • Feeling depressed, a lack of a sense of purpose, unseen.
  • Possessing a need to atone for past wrongs, impulsivity or difficulty controlling obsessions, a history of abuse.
  • Lacking knowledge of scams, healthy skepticism of others.

The FBI's IC3 (the real one) offers these actionable tips for first-time fraud victims to help avoid refund and recovery scams:5

  • Adopt a "zero trust" mindset. Trust no one by default. Verify every unsolicited communication.
  • Be extra cautious of anyone contacting you to help recover fraud losses, especially if you have not reported the crime.
  • Ask anyone who contacts you offering to help recover from a scam for video verification, documentation, or a photo of their credentials.
  • Request verification of employment for anyone claiming to work for the U.S. government or law enforcement. Call your local office for the associated government entity to verify the identity of the individual with whom you are communicating.
  • Require notarized proofs of identity from any supposed lawyers before continuing any further communications and transactions.
  • Keep records of all interactions with anyone offering to help you with fraud recovery, including screen recordings of video calls if you have software available to do so.

If you or a loved one has been victimized — once, twice, or more — find out what to do next and how to start down the path of recovery by reading "What to Do if You Are a Victim of Fraud."

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Important disclosure information

This content is general in nature and does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment advice. You are encouraged to consult with competent legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment professionals based on your specific circumstances. We do not make any warranties as to accuracy or completeness of this information, do not endorse any third-party companies, products, or services described here, and take no liability for your use of this information.

  1. NBC 7 San Diego, "Vista woman loses life savings in ‘Keanu Reeves' imposter romance scam," published December 23, 2024. Accessed August 20, 2026. Back
  2. Tracy Davidson and David Chang, "Man loses over $1 million after customer service scam leads to romance scam," NBC 10 Philadelphia, published June 19, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2026. Back
  3. Nick Ingalls, "I've Been a Victim of Fraud Twice—Here's What It Feels Like," Very Well Mind, published February 05, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2026. Back
  4. Federal Trade Commission, "Refund and Recovery Scams," FTC Consumer Advice, published December 2023. Accessed August 20, 2026. Back
  5. Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Fictitious Law Firms Targeting Cryptocurrency Scam Victims Combine Multiple Exploitation Tactics While Offering to Recover Funds," FBI Public Service Announcements, published August 13, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2026. Back
  6. Federal Bureau of Investigation, "FBI Warns of Scammers Impersonating the IC3," FBI Public Service Announcements, published April 18, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2026. Back
  7. Marti Deliema, et al., "Fraud Victimization Across the Lifespan: Evidence on Repeat Victimization Using Perpetrator Data," Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, published February 2024. Accessed August 20, 2026. Back
  8. Ron Acierno, PhD, et al., "Addressing the Challenge of Chronic Fraud Victimization," FINRA, Heart Mind Strategies, and AARP, published March 2021. Accessed August 20, 2026. Back
  9. FBI 2025 Internet Crime Report, published April 2026. Accessed August 20, 2026. Back