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If you suspect a relief scam, preserve more than a screenshot. Capture the complete page or message with its URL, visible date and time, sender identity, claims, contact details and payment instructions; save the page or message electronically; keep the original files unchanged; record how and when you obtained them; store an encrypted duplicate; and report quickly to the FTC, FBI IC3 and the financial institution involved. A screenshot is one item in an evidence set, not the set itself.
What to collect before the scam disappears
Relief scams often use websites, social-media accounts, email, text messages or messaging apps that can be edited, suspended or deleted. Start with the material that proves what you saw and who presented it.
- The complete webpage or message: capture the relevant content in context rather than cropping only the payment demand. Include the surrounding text, navigation or profile area and any warning or disclaimer.
- Identity and contact details: preserve the sender’s name, username, account handle, email address, phone number, physical address, logos and any “official” affiliation claimed.
- Location and timing: show the full URL or app name and record the date and time displayed on the device. Save the message identifier or conversation link when one exists.
- The claim and the requested action: capture promises of grants, disaster help, debt relief or benefits, plus instructions to pay a fee, buy gift cards, send cryptocurrency, disclose credentials or share personal documents.
- Payment and delivery evidence: retain receipts, transaction IDs, invoices, bank or card statements, wire confirmations, payment-app records and shipping or delivery information.
Save an electronic copy of the page or message whenever the service permits it. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) identifies electronic or printed web pages, emails with full headers, hard-drive images, network or host logs, chat transcripts, telephony logs and payment records as potentially relevant evidence. A complete set lets an investigator connect the promise, the person who made it, the time it was made and the money movement.
Capture a webpage so the context is visible
1. Stabilize the page without changing its meaning
- Open the page in a normal browser session and wait for the visible content to finish loading.
- Do not log in as the scammer, alter page text, submit another payment or interact in a way that could delete evidence.
- Note the device, browser and account you used. If the site is behind a login, preserve the account name or email shown without sharing your password.
2. Capture the address and surrounding content
Take screenshots that include the browser address bar or the app’s name, the page heading, sender identity, contact information, the offer or threat, payment instructions and enough surrounding material to show where each statement appeared. For a long page, make a sequence of overlapping captures or a full-page export, then save a separate capture of the address bar if the full-page function omits it. Include the system clock or another visible time reference when practical, but also write the capture time in your evidence log because an on-screen clock can be inaccurate.
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3. Save a page copy
Use the browser’s “Save page” or print-to-PDF function when available. Keep that electronic copy alongside the screenshots. If the page contains video, audio, a downloadable document or a form, save the original file and record its filename and download time. Do not overwrite the first copy if you later discover a changed version; save the later version as a new item.
4. Capture changes and disappearance
If the page is edited, returns an error, redirects or the account is suspended, capture that state too. Record what changed and when you noticed it. A before-and-after pair can show that the offer, account or payment instructions were removed after contact.
Preserve email, text and chat evidence
Keep the original message in the mail service and export or download it in the service’s native format when possible. Preserve the full headers, not just the display name and message body; headers can contain routing and message-identification information. Save attachments in their original form and keep the message’s date, time, sender and recipient fields visible in a separate screenshot or export.
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Export the conversation if the app supports that function. Otherwise, capture the conversation in chronological sections showing the account name or number, timestamps, profile details and the messages immediately before and after the suspicious request. Include the app name and conversation or message identifier. Do not rely on disappearing-message settings: capture relevant content before its retention window expires.
Social-media posts and profiles
Capture both the individual post and the profile page that identifies the account. Record the post URL, handle, visible follower or contact information and any edit, deletion or suspension notice. A profile screenshot without the specific post does not show what was promised; a post screenshot without the profile does not establish which account published it.
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Keep originals unchanged and document provenance
Make a read-only mindset part of the workflow: the first downloaded file, screenshot, export and receipt is an original. Do not crop, annotate, rename in a way that removes the original name, recompress, edit metadata or convert it and discard the source. The FTC advises not to destroy forensic evidence. Work from copies for redaction, highlighting or submission.
For every item, create a simple evidence-log entry containing:
- a sequential item number and the original filename;
- the date and time obtained, including time zone;
- how it was obtained (browser screenshot, email export, app export, bank download or other method);
- the device, account and application used;
- the exact URL, message identifier, transaction ID or file path;
- what the item shows; and
- later events, such as deletion, editing, a redirect, account suspension or a new version.
This is practical chain-of-custody documentation, not a government-prescribed consumer form. Keep the log with the evidence, and add entries rather than rewriting old ones.
Store the collection securely
Evidence may contain names, addresses, account numbers, identity documents and communications. FTC guidance recommends encryption for devices, removable drives, backup media and cloud storage containing sensitive personal information.
| Storage approach | Encryption and access | Offline duplicate | Capacity and handoff | Practical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Encrypted external drive | Use device or volume encryption and a strong, separately stored passphrase. | Yes; disconnect it after copying. | Usually suitable for screenshots, video, exports and logs; hand a working copy to investigators. | Good primary archive when you can protect the drive physically. |
| Encrypted cloud storage | Use an encrypted service or encrypted container, unique credentials and multi-factor authentication. | Only if you also make a separate offline copy. | Capacity depends on the service; sharing a copy can be convenient, but verify recipients and permissions. | Useful for a second location and access from another device. |
| Unencrypted computer or removable media | No adequate protection for sensitive evidence. | Not a reliable backup. | Easy to alter, delete or expose accidentally. | Use only as a temporary working area, then move originals to encrypted storage. |
Keep the original set separate from the working copy and maintain at least one secure duplicate. Restrict access to people who need it. When sending material to an agency, provide a copy unless an investigator specifically requests the original and gives you a secure transfer method.
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Capture volatile information early
Some evidence has a short retention period. A chat may be configured to disappear; a service may keep access logs only briefly; a scammer may delete an account after receiving payment. CISA recommends prioritizing highly volatile or retention-limited evidence and, in incident-response settings, taking system images, memory captures and relevant logs. A consumer reporting workflow rarely requires you to make a forensic image yourself, but it does require prompt capture of the visible messages, account details and logs you can lawfully access.
- Export disappearing conversations before continuing the conversation.
- Download transaction and account activity while the records are still available.
- Capture a live page and its URL before refreshing, logging out or clearing browser data.
- Preserve relevant router, host or application logs if you administer the system and know how to export them without overwriting older records.
Do not install unknown “evidence recovery” software offered by the scammer or hand over your credentials to obtain a copy.
Report the scam and protect the payment trail
Contact financial institutions immediately
If money was sent, call the bank, card issuer, payment app, wire service or cryptocurrency exchange using a trusted number or the service’s official application. Provide the transaction ID, amount, destination, time and the evidence item that shows the request. Ask what reversal, recall or account-protection steps are available. Speed matters because the FBI says rapid IC3 reporting can support recovery, but no recovery is guaranteed.
File federal reports
Submit an online fraud report to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC says reports help build cases and identify trends. File an internet-enabled fraud report with FBI IC3 and attach or provide the requested details from your evidence log. Keep the confirmation numbers with your originals.
Preserve before contacting the scammer
Do not warn the sender that you are collecting evidence, threaten them or negotiate another payment. Those actions can prompt deletion or escalation. Capture and export first, then follow the reporting agency’s instructions. If a real relief program may be involved, verify it through a government contact method that you find independently, not through the message.
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When a legal or government investigation may follow
If litigation or a government investigation is possible, do not rely on disappearing messages or informal deletion settings. The FTC and U.S. Department of Justice stated in January 2024: “Companies and individuals have a legal responsibility to preserve documents when involved in government investigations or litigation in order to promote efficient and effective enforcement that protects the American public.” Keep relevant documents, messages, logs and payment records, and ask an attorney or the investigating agency about any specific preservation notice or retention period that applies to you.
Or skip the browser setup
For a reproducible capture of a public page, ScreenshotNeo accepts one GET request and returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF. It can accept consent banners before capture and remove more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and the response identifies the result with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. Use it as an additional copy, not as a reason to discard the browser capture, message export or payment records.
Documentation: https://screenshotneo.com/docs/. The API endpoint is https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot.
cURL
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com/suspected-relief-offer -o shot.webpPython
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://example.com/suspected-relief-offer"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://example.com/suspected-relief-offer' }); const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);Options useful for evidence capture
- Request a full-page capture with lazy-loaded images loaded, or capture one element by CSS selector when the relevant offer is embedded in a larger page.
- Choose a device preset or viewport, retina scale and PNG, JPEG or WebP output; request PDF with paper size, margins, landscape orientation or page ranges when a paginated record is easier to review.
- Use a wait-for-selector, delay or network-idle condition so late content is present. Custom JavaScript, CSS, clicks, hidden selectors, headers, cookies, user agent, authorization, timezone and geolocation can reproduce a page state you are authorized to access.
- Block ads, trackers, requests or resource types that obscure the evidence; use a chosen cache TTL only when a cached copy is acceptable. Signed links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, the usage API and the OpenAPI specification support larger collections.
ScreenshotNeo has a free allowance of 1,000 shots per month with no card. Paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots; every feature is on every plan, and yearly billing gives two months free. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, so an AI agent can create a capture without a manually configured browser. Cookie banners, popups and chat widgets are removed before the shot; bot checks, blank pages and failed loads are never billed. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to start with 1,000 screenshots a month and no card.
Troubleshooting evidence collection
The screenshot has no URL or sender identity
Capture a second frame with the address bar, app name or profile header visible. Keep the original cropped image, but label the contextual frame as a separate item in the log.
The page is longer than one screen
Use a full-page export or overlapping, numbered screenshots. Save a PDF or page copy as well, and record whether lazy-loaded sections appeared only after scrolling.
A message disappeared
Preserve any prior screenshot, notification, email alert, exported chat file or device backup you lawfully possess. Record the deletion or expiration time and do not claim that an unavailable message says more than your surviving copy shows.
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The export opens but appears incomplete
Keep the original export unchanged, capture the visible portion in the app, and note the application’s export date and version. Ask the reporting agency whether it wants the native file, a PDF or both.
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The screenshot service returns a blank page or bot check
Retain the failed result and its time in your log, then use an authorized normal-browser capture. With ScreenshotNeo, the response reports the page verdict and billing status; a blank page, bot check, timeout or failed load is not billed.
You need to redact personal information
Never alter the original. Make a working copy, redact that copy, and keep a note describing what was removed and why. Give investigators the unredacted original only through a secure channel they specify.
What a complete evidence package should contain
- A numbered index and provenance log.
- Original screenshots, page exports and PDFs, unchanged.
- Full-header email files, native chat exports and attachments.
- URLs, account identifiers, timestamps and records of edits or deletion.
- Payment receipts, statements, transaction IDs and communications with the financial institution.
- An encrypted duplicate stored separately from the working copy.
- FTC and IC3 submission confirmations and any instructions received from investigators.
That package preserves what was offered, who offered it, how the request reached you, what you did, and where the money or data went—details a single image cannot establish by itself.
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