The Second Scam: Uphill Trades and the Recovery-Fee Trap (77%)

After being scammed once, a Phoenix retiree was contacted by Uphill Trades, which claimed to have “located” her stolen crypto and only needed a fee to release it. The second scam is the one we were able to reverse: 77%.

Operator on file: Uphill Trades — read the full scam-broker dossier in our directory.

How the trail began

Months after her first loss, people who already knew the details — how much she had lost and to whom — contacted her as Uphill Trades, presenting themselves as a recovery service that had found her funds.

Victim contact lists are resold; being scammed once is exactly what put her on theirs.

Where the trail broke

The “release” required an upfront “tax”, then an “insurance bond”, then a “conversion fee” — first in gift cards, later in USDT. Each payment unlocked one more. It was a classic advance-fee structure dressed as recovery.

$11,200 in fees had gone before she reached us, mid-escalation, asking if the next payment was normal.

“They knew exactly how much I’d lost the first time. That’s how they got me to believe they could get it back.”Claimant statement — file DAD-2026-0434

The recovery trail

1. We stopped the next payment

   The single most important step was halting the in-progress fee escalation before more left.

2. We charged back the cards

   The gift-card and card-funded legs were disputed with documented fraud evidence.

3. We traced the USDT fees

   The stablecoin payments were followed to a centralized-exchange deposit address.

4. We filed a fast freeze

   The four-day window let us reach the exchange before the balance moved on.

5. We reinforced the rule

   Legitimate recovery is never paid for with upfront fees, gift cards or “release taxes”.

Warning signs

• Anyone who contacts you claiming to have already found or recovered your stolen crypto.
• Upfront “release fees”, “taxes” or “insurance” demanded before any funds are returned.
• Requests to pay in gift cards, vouchers or stablecoins sent to a personal wallet.
• A “recovery” service that found you — especially soon after a previous loss.