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Contact the bank, payment app, card issuer, or transfer service you used immediately. Tell it the payment may be fraud and ask whether it can stop, recall, reverse, or attempt to recover the money. Use a trusted phone number or open the provider’s official app or website yourself—not contact details sent by the suspected fraudster. Recovery is not guaranteed, but acting quickly gives the provider the chance to respond.
What to do right now
- Contact the sending provider. Call the number on your bank card or statement, or open the provider’s official app or website directly. Say clearly that you suspect fraud. Ask it to stop, recall, reverse, or attempt to recover the payment. For a UK bank transfer, provide the receiving account number if you know it. Guidance from Stop! Think Fraud also advises contacting your bank through a known genuine route.
- Tell the provider if anyone may have account access. If you shared a password, login code, or other account information—or suspect the fraudster can access your account—say so while reporting the payment. Ask what protections or account restrictions are needed.
- Secure exposed credentials. Change any disclosed password to a new, strong one, and change it on every other account where you reused it. The FTC’s phone scam guidance recommends changing a compromised password and reused versions.
- Save the evidence. Keep the transaction receipt or reference, date, amount, recipient details, and any messages, emails, phone numbers, websites, or social profiles involved. Take screenshots and note what made the payment seem suspicious. This information can help with a report to Report Fraud.
- Report the scam through an official local channel. Use the route for your country or region; reporting remains worthwhile even if the provider cannot recover the funds.
Can your bank or payment provider get the money back?
Ask the provider to act, but do not assume a refund is certain. The options depend on the payment method, how quickly you report it, whether you authorized the transaction, where you live, and the circumstances of the case.
| How you paid | What to ask or know |
|---|---|
| Bank wire | Contact the sending bank immediately, report the fraudulent transfer, and ask it to reverse or recover it. The FTC says recovery is not guaranteed. See What To Know Before You Wire Money. |
| Wire-transfer company | Contact the company right away, report the scam, and ask it to reverse the transfer. The FTC provides this guidance in What To Know Before You Wire Money. |
| Payment app | Report the transaction to the app provider and ask whether it can be reversed. If the app was linked to a debit or credit card, notify that bank or card issuer too. See the FTC’s payment-app scam guidance. |
| UK bank transfer | Tell your bank promptly and give it the recipient’s account number if known. The bank will try to recover the funds; whether reimbursement is available depends on the facts and applicable protections. If dissatisfied with the response, make a formal complaint and you may be able to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service. |
| Eligible UK APP transfer | The Payment Systems Regulator’s mandatory reimbursement protections apply to eligible UK Faster Payments and CHAPS transfers made on or after 7 October 2024. They cover individuals, microenterprises, and charities. Report the payment promptly and follow your bank’s claim process; these protections do not automatically apply to other payment types or jurisdictions. See the PSR’s APP fraud reimbursement protections. |
| Payment you did not make or approve | Tell the bank explicitly that you did not authorize the transaction. In the United States, some unauthorized electronic fund transfers have protections and investigation procedures described by the CFPB. A payment you personally approved after being deceived is a different category, so explain exactly what happened rather than labeling it unauthorized if you approved it. |
Where to report the fraud
Reporting routes differ by location. These are examples for the United States and the UK; use your country’s official fraud-reporting and law-enforcement channels elsewhere.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11- United States: Report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The CFPB also identifies the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov, state attorneys general, and local police or sheriff’s offices as possible reporting or assistance routes. See CFPB guidance.
- England and Wales: If you lost money or were hacked through online fraud, UK government guidance directs you to Report Fraud.
- Scotland: Report money lost to an online scam or fraud to Police Scotland, as set out in the UK government’s reporting guidance.
Watch out for recovery scams
After a loss, someone may claim they can retrieve the money for a fee or request personal information, bank details, or login credentials. Do not pay for a promised refund or give them sensitive information. The FTC warns that these offers can be another scam. Verify any purported authority independently by finding its official contact details yourself and calling it directly. See the FTC’s refund and recovery scam guidance.
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