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Act quickly: contact the bank, card issuer, payment app, wire company, or cryptocurrency exchange through an official channel and ask whether the payment can be stopped, reversed, or refunded. Then secure any exposed accounts and devices, preserve original evidence, build a dated timeline, and report the incident to the appropriate authorities. Reporting cannot guarantee reimbursement or an investigation, but fast action and well-organized records give each recipient the information it can use.
What to do in the first hours
- Contact the payment institution immediately. Use the telephone number printed on your card or statement, a bookmark you created for the institution’s genuine website, or its official app. Explain that a scam caused the transaction, not merely that you have a billing dispute. Ask whether the institution can place a hold, recall a transfer, reverse a card transaction, or issue a refund, and ask what documents it needs. Record the representative’s name, the time, the case or confirmation number, and the promised next step.
- Protect accounts and devices. Change passwords for the affected account and any other account that reused the password. Turn on the strongest available multifactor authentication, preferably an authenticator app or security key where offered. If the scammer had remote access, disconnect the device from the internet when practical, update its operating system and security software, run a malware scan, and consider professional cleaning before using it for banking. Do not continue a remote-support session just to “prove” that the problem is fixed.
- Preserve evidence before deleting or blocking. Save the original email, message, profile, web page, receipt, and call details before closing the conversation or reporting the account. If someone is actively threatening you or has access to an account, take enough screenshots and notes to identify the threat, then prioritize safety and containment.
- Start a timeline. Write down when contact began, what the person claimed, every address or account they supplied, each payment and account change, and every call you make after discovering the scam.
- File the reports that match your location and the conduct. In the United States, use the Federal Trade Commission’s ReportFraud.gov for consumer scams and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) for cyber-enabled crime. Consider your state attorney general and local police or sheriff. In the United Kingdom, use Report Fraud. Use contact details you find independently, never a phone number or link supplied by the suspected scammer.
Contact the payment provider by payment type
The payment provider is usually the fastest place to seek financial recovery. The available remedy depends on the payment rail, how quickly you report, and that provider’s rules; no agency or provider in this guidance promises that money will be returned.
| Payment | Who to contact first | Information to have ready | Specific request |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit or debit card | Card issuer or bank, using the number on the card or statement | Transaction date, amount, merchant descriptor, and why the transaction resulted from deception | Ask whether the charge can be blocked, reversed, or refunded and whether the card must be replaced. |
| Bank transfer or ACH | Your bank or credit union’s fraud department | Sender and recipient details, routing or account information if shown, amount, date and time, and confirmation number | Request an immediate recall or hold and ask whether further transfers can be stopped. |
| Payment app | The app’s official support or fraud channel and the linked bank or card issuer | Username, recipient, transaction ID, amount, date and screenshots | Ask for a transaction reversal, account lock, and investigation; also ask the linked financial institution what protection applies. |
| Wire transfer | The wire company and the sending bank | Wire receipt, tracking or confirmation number, recipient, destination, amount and time | Request an urgent recall and ask whether the receiving institution can be alerted. |
| Cryptocurrency | The exchange or service used to send or purchase the asset, plus your bank or card issuer if fiat money was involved | Wallet addresses, asset and amount, date and time, transaction hash, exchange details and communications | Ask what freeze, account-security, or tracing process is available. Do not assume a completed blockchain transaction can be reversed. |
Keep the original confirmation and a copy of everything you submit. A provider may ask you to complete a fraud affidavit or provide a police-report number; follow its instructions, but do not alter the underlying records.
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Evidence is most valuable when it shows who contacted you, what was said, how the payment or account change happened, and when each event occurred. Save originals in a safe location and do your analysis or highlighting on copies.
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Scammer identifiers
- Names, aliases, claimed company or agency, telephone numbers, email addresses and any callback numbers.
- Domains, complete URLs, app names, social-media handles, profile URLs, wallet addresses and usernames.
- Caller-ID information, payment instructions, QR codes and invoices. Caller ID can be falsified, so preserve it as a clue rather than proof of identity.
Communications
- Original emails, including full headers. In most mail services, use a menu such as “Show original,” “View source,” or “Download message” and save the resulting file without editing it.
- Text messages, chat exports, direct messages, voicemails, call logs and recordings where you lawfully made them. If a recording is not available, note the date, time, number and a factual summary of what was said.
- Screenshots of conversations and web pages that show the address bar, account name, date or time, and the entire relevant screen. Save the page as a PDF or print it as an additional copy, but retain the screenshot and original message too.
- Messages that triggered the contact, including warnings, job offers, invoices, delivery notices or “account suspension” notices. Do not preserve only the last message in a long thread.
Payment records
- Bank or card statements, receipts, canceled checks, wire confirmations, payment-app records and exchange statements.
- For cryptocurrency, record the wallet address, asset type, amount, date and time, transaction hash, exchange or kiosk used, and the addresses to which the asset was sent.
- Keep evidence of fees, gift-card numbers, cash deposits or other value transferred, even when no conventional receipt exists. Write down how and where the payment was made.
Device and account records
- Login alerts, password-reset messages, unfamiliar-device notices, security-log entries and changes to recovery email addresses or telephone numbers.
- Malware-scan results, relevant network or firewall logs, remote-access software details, and a list of files or settings the person viewed or changed.
- A copy of the timeline and the confirmation numbers from your bank, platform and government reports.
Storage and integrity
Keep an untouched set of originals in a location the scammer cannot reach. An external hard drive stored offline is a practical option for electronic copies and, when necessary, a full hard-drive image. Use clearly named copies for investigators or providers; do not rename, crop, compress, or edit the originals. If you use cloud storage, protect it with a new password and multifactor authentication because a compromised device or account may expose synchronized files.
Build a clear incident timeline
A timeline lets a bank, platform, or investigator connect separate records. Use your local time zone and note when you are uncertain rather than guessing.
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| Date and time | Event | Identifier or evidence | Action and result |
|---|---|---|---|
| When contact started | How the person reached you and what they claimed | Phone number, email, profile, URL or app; filename of saved message | Whether you replied or provided information |
| Each request | Instructions to click, install, disclose, or pay | Screenshot, original message, software name or destination address | What you did and what appeared on screen |
| Each transaction | Payment, transfer, withdrawal or cryptocurrency send | Receipt, confirmation number, amount, asset and transaction hash where applicable | Provider contacted and reference number |
| Account or device change | Password reset, new login, remote session or security alert | Alert, log entry, IP or device information if shown | Password changed, session revoked, scan completed or device disconnected |
| Reports and follow-up | Calls, web forms and platform reports | Organization, URL or phone number, confirmation number and submitted date | Instructions received and next deadline |
Choose the right reporting destination
| Destination | Jurisdiction or role | What it can do | Evidence handling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank, card issuer, payment app, wire company or exchange | Financial transaction and account control | Attempt a hold, recall, reversal, refund, account lock or internal investigation under its rules | Follow its fraud-document instructions and keep your originals. |
| FTC ReportFraud.gov | United States consumer scams | Uses reports to build cases, identify trends, educate the public and share information with law-enforcement partners | Provide the requested narrative and identifiers; retain your files. |
| FBI IC3 | United States cyber-enabled crime, including online extortion, account intrusion and cryptocurrency fraud | Analysts review complaints and may forward them to law-enforcement partners | IC3 states: “IC3 does not collect evidence regarding complaints, nor do we accept attachments.” Keep the originals securely and describe the evidence in the form. IC3 does not promise an investigation or a status update. |
| State attorney general | United States state-level consumer-protection jurisdiction | May accept a consumer complaint and use it for state enforcement or referrals | Submit copies or details requested by the state and retain originals. |
| Local police or sheriff | Local incident, urgent threat, or a situation requiring a formal report | Can document the incident and assess it under local law; an emergency call is appropriate if anyone faces immediate danger | Ask how to provide digital files and obtain the report or incident number. |
| UK Report Fraud | United Kingdom fraud reporting | Records the fraud report for the relevant UK process | The service asks for contact details, supporting documents or screenshots, payment method, and what caused you to suspect fraud. |
Report to the platform where the scammer operated as well. Use the platform’s built-in report flow or official support page, identify the account and offending content, and save the submission confirmation. A platform report may help remove an account or preserve records, but it does not replace a payment dispute or a law-enforcement report.
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How to report cryptocurrency scams
Submit an IC3 complaint even if some transaction information is missing. Include every detail you have: wallet addresses, cryptocurrency type and amount, date and time, transaction hash, exchange or service details, communications, domains or applications, and your timeline. A partial report is more useful than waiting until an address or hash is perfect.
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Also notify the exchange or service through an official channel and secure the account: change its password, revoke unfamiliar sessions or API keys, and enable multifactor authentication. Do not send more cryptocurrency to “unlock” or “trace” the first payment.
Be especially cautious of recovery offers. The FBI warns that a person who promises to recover your funds for an upfront fee may be running another scam. Do not pay an unexpected recovery agent, provide additional wallet credentials, or share a seed phrase or private key.
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If the scammer accessed your computer or phone
- End the remote session and disconnect the device from the network if doing so will not create an immediate safety problem.
- From a different, trusted device, change the passwords for email, banking, payment, cloud-storage and social accounts. Start with the email account because it can reset the others.
- Revoke active sessions, remove unfamiliar recovery methods, rotate authentication-app or security-key access when necessary, and contact financial institutions about any account viewed during the session.
- Update the operating system, browser and security tools. Run a full malware scan and save the result. If the person installed tools, altered security settings, or handled sensitive files, have a qualified professional examine or clean the device before returning it to financial use.
- Preserve remote-support application names, download files, browser history, security alerts and relevant logs before wiping the device. A wipe may remove useful evidence, so ask an investigator or qualified technician first when the incident is serious.
Follow up without losing control of the case
- Keep a single case folder with originals, working copies, the timeline, provider correspondence and report confirmations. Back it up offline.
- Respond promptly to requests from your bank or police, but verify the requester through a number or website you locate independently.
- Ask each organization what happens next and when you should follow up. IC3 does not promise a status update, so do not interpret silence as proof that no report was received.
- Do not delete the original message after submitting a platform or government report. Preserve it until the relevant institution tells you it is no longer needed.
- Ignore anyone who contacts you unexpectedly claiming to be able to recover the money for a fee. Treat requests for gift cards, cryptocurrency, remote access, passwords, one-time codes or private keys as additional fraud warnings.
What a well-prepared report contains
Before submitting a form or calling an investigator, check that your package answers five questions: who contacted you, what did they say, how did you communicate, what exactly changed or was paid, and when did each event occur? Include identifiers and transaction data in the form even when the recipient cannot accept attachments. State what you do not know instead of filling gaps with assumptions. The result should let a recipient verify the event, contact the relevant provider, and understand which action is urgent.
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