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If a suspicious call, message, image, or video is being used to get into your accounts, stop responding and verify the claim through a contact method you already trust. Do not share a verification code or move money to “protect” it. If you have already disclosed information, installed software, or sent funds, contact the affected institution promptly and explain exactly what happened.

First, stop the interaction and verify the claim independently

A convincing voice, video, image, text, caller ID, or official-looking document does not prove who contacted you. Treat the request—not how realistic it seems—as the thing to check. End the call or conversation, do not click its links, and do not provide information while the sender is directing the interaction.

  • Do not reveal a password, PIN, or one-time verification code.
  • Do not transfer, withdraw, or deposit money because someone says it will protect your account or help an investigation.
  • Do not install an app or remote-access software at the request of an unexpected caller or message.
  • Do not use a phone number, link, or reply address supplied in the suspicious contact.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that a caller asking you to move money to protect it or share a verification code is signaling a scam. Its Consumer Advice article, published in June 2024, puts the code rule plainly: “Never share a verification code. Ever.”

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To check a claim about a bank or other account, contact the institution using its official app or website, the number printed on your card, or a number on a recent statement. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) similarly advises people who receive a bank email or text asking them to “verify” account information to find customer service through a different source. A phone number in a search result is not automatically safe: the FTC warns that paid scam advertisements can appear among top results.

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If the contact claims a relative is in immediate danger

Pause before sending money or personal details. Call the relative using a number already saved in your contacts, or reach another trusted person who can check on them. The FTC recommends verifying an emergency claim through another contact route rather than relying on the caller’s voice or story.

If it is only a suspicious contact

If you did not click a link, install anything, disclose information, or send money, end the contact and do not continue the conversation to investigate. You can contact the institution independently if the message claims to involve one of your accounts. Report the scam to ReportFraud.ftc.gov if you choose; the reporting route is separate from contacting your financial institution.

Contact the real institution and describe exactly what happened

Call the bank, credit union, payment service, or other company through a trusted channel as soon as you suspect account access or a transaction may be involved. Ask for its fraud department and explain whether you only received a message or also clicked, installed software, disclosed credentials, shared a code, or authorized or sent a payment. Those distinctions help the institution determine what account restrictions and recovery steps may apply.

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  1. Use a known route. Open the institution’s official app or website yourself, use the number on your card, or find customer service on a recent statement. Do not call or click back through the suspicious contact.
  2. State the event clearly. Give the date and approximate time, what the person claimed, what information you shared, and whether money moved. Be specific about any one-time code, password, PIN, or payment authorization.
  3. Ask what to secure now. Ask whether the account should be frozen or otherwise restricted, whether credentials or a PIN should be changed, and how to secure any linked accounts. Follow the institution’s instructions.
  4. Ask how to dispute a transaction. If you see an unauthorized electronic fund transfer, notify the institution promptly and ask how to submit a dispute. Keep the case number and the name or department you contacted.

Do not assume a payment is reversible simply because the request was deceptive or used AI. The CFPB’s timelines and liability explanations apply to qualifying electronic fund transfers under particular circumstances; they are not a universal refund promise. Payment type and the facts of the incident matter.

Choose the next step based on what the scammer obtained

You clicked a link but did not enter information

Stop interacting with the page and do not enter credentials or payment details. If you entered nothing and installed nothing, tell the institution what happened if the page purported to represent it, and ask whether it recommends any account-specific precautions. If you also downloaded or installed software, tell the institution that too; an account representative can advise what restrictions or credential changes are appropriate.

You disclosed a password, PIN, or account information

Tell the relevant company what you disclosed and follow its account-securing instructions. Change the affected login, password, or PIN as the company directs, and consider whether the same password was used on another account that could be exposed. The FTC’s identity-theft guidance advises contacting companies where fraud occurred, asking them to close or freeze affected accounts, and changing logins, passwords, and PINs.

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You shared a one-time code

Contact the institution immediately through its official channel and tell it that you gave out a verification code. Do not share another code with anyone who calls or messages you, even if the person claims to be helping secure the account. Ask the institution what immediate restrictions or sign-in changes it recommends.

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You sent money or see an unfamiliar transaction

Contact the financial institution or payment service that handled the transaction right away. Tell it whether you authorized the payment after being deceived or whether the transaction was made without your authorization, and ask what reporting or dispute process applies. Preserve the payment details and follow the institution’s process even if you also report the scam to a government agency.

The CFPB describes investigation and notice periods for certain electronic fund transfer disputes. It says a financial institution generally has 10 business days after notification to investigate; its page also describes a general one-business-day correction period after the institution determines an error occurred and a three-business-day period to report findings. These are CFPB-published figures for covered situations, not guarantees that every payment will be returned. Contact the institution promptly and ask how the rules apply to your transaction.

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The CFPB also describes protections in particular debit-card cases. In the circumstances it explains, reporting a lost or stolen debit card within two business days can limit liability to the lesser of the unauthorized transactions or $50. The page describes a 60-day statement-notice period for certain unauthorized withdrawals and a possible $500 liability amount in a specified late-notice situation. These figures depend on the circumstances and the CFPB’s stated conditions; they do not apply identically to every payment or scam. Report a suspected loss or transaction to your institution immediately rather than waiting to determine which rule may apply.

You installed software at the caller’s request

Tell the institution that the caller asked you to install software and describe what you installed and what access you granted, if you know. Do not continue following the caller’s directions. Ask the institution what account protections it recommends, and change affected credentials according to its instructions. The key account-response steps are to tell the company what happened and follow its directions to secure or restrict the account; do not assume that removing software alone resolves possible account exposure.

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Respond if personal information was used for identity theft

If you learn that someone used your information to open an account or commit identity theft, use IdentityTheft.gov. The service generates an FTC Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan from the information you report. Its recovery guidance includes contacting companies where fraud occurred, asking to close or freeze affected accounts, changing logins, passwords, and PINs, reviewing credit reports, and placing a fraud alert.

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Keep the FTC report and recovery plan, company case numbers, dates of calls, copies of suspicious messages, and relevant account statements. These records help you track which companies you contacted and what each one told you. Follow the affected company’s own recovery and dispute process as well as the IdentityTheft.gov plan.

Report the scam through the route that fits the incident

  • Scam attempt or impersonation: Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
  • Identity theft: Use IdentityTheft.gov to create a recovery plan and FTC Identity Theft Report.
  • Online crime: The CFPB lists the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) as a reporting option.
  • Local or state follow-up: The CFPB also identifies your state attorney general and local police as reporting avenues.

Use official agency sites or known phone numbers when reporting; do not follow a link sent by the suspected scammer. Government reports do not replace contacting your financial institution, securing the account, or submitting a transaction dispute through the institution’s process.

Keep a clear record of the response

Write down when the contact happened, what it asked you to do, what you did, which accounts or payment services were involved, and when you contacted each company. Save the suspicious messages and transaction records. Record institution case numbers and the instructions you were given. These details make it easier to explain the event consistently to the company and, when relevant, to the reporting services.

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If your only exposure was an attempted contact, your priority is to stop engaging and verify independently. If you disclosed a code or account details, installed software, or sent money, tell the relevant institution promptly and follow its account-specific recovery steps. Use identity-theft and scam-reporting services when the facts call for them, while keeping the institution’s dispute process moving.

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