What to Do If You've Been Scammed: A Step-by-Step Checklist

Realizing that you may have been scammed can feel upsetting and confusing. You might have sent money, shared a password, clicked a suspicious link, or given someone personal details. Whatever happened, taking a few calm steps can help limit further problems.

If you are wondering what to do if you’ve been scammed, start by stopping contact and protecting anything that may be at risk. You do not need to solve everything at once. This checklist explains what to do first, who to contact, and how to report what happened in the US or UK.

What you’ll need

• Your bank or payment provider’s official phone number or website.
• Access to the email and other accounts that may be affected.
• Any messages, receipts, usernames, phone numbers, or transaction details connected with the scam.
• A trusted person who can help you work through the next steps.

Step 1: Stop contact and do not send anything else

The first priority is to prevent the scammer from getting more money or information.

1. Stop replying to the person or organization that contacted you.
2. Do not send another payment, even if they claim it will release a refund, recover your money, or solve the problem.
3. Do not share additional passwords, security codes, identity documents, or banking details.
4. Do not install software or give remote access to your phone or computer at their request.
5. Be cautious of anyone who contacts you promising to recover your money for an upfront fee.

Scammers sometimes contact people again after an initial fraud, pretending to be a bank employee, police officer, government official, or recovery specialist. A request for more money to get your original payment back is another warning sign.

Careful: Do not pay a person who says they can guarantee the recovery of lost money. Recovery scams often target people who have already been deceived.

Step 2: Contact your bank or payment provider

If you paid money, shared card or bank details, or allowed someone to access a financial account, contact your bank or payment provider as soon as possible. Use the phone number on your bank card, the official app, or the website address you normally use. Do not use contact details supplied in the suspicious message.

1. Explain that you believe you have been scammed.
2. Tell them how you paid, when it happened, and the amount involved.
3. Ask whether they can stop, recall, or dispute the payment.
4. Ask whether your card or account needs to be blocked, replaced, or monitored.
5. Follow their advice and make a note of any case or reference number.

The options depend on the payment method and how long ago the transaction took place. A bank may not be able to reverse every payment, but contacting it quickly gives it the best chance to help.

If you used a payment app, money transfer service, credit card, debit card, or online marketplace, contact that provider too. If you paid with gift cards or cryptocurrency, keep the receipts and transaction details and report the incident to the relevant provider and official fraud service.

Tip: Tell your bank clearly that the payment was connected to a scam. Ask what protections are available and whether any other accounts or cards may be at risk.

Step 3: Secure your email and other online accounts

If you shared a password, entered details on a suspicious website, or let someone access your device, secure the affected accounts. Start with your email account because it may be used to reset passwords for other services.

1. From a trusted device, go directly to the official website or app for your email provider.
2. Change the password to a new one that you do not use anywhere else.
3. Change the same password anywhere else you reused it.
4. Turn on two-step verification, if available. This adds another check when someone tries to sign in.
5. Review recent sign-in activity and sign out of devices or sessions you do not recognize.
6. Check recovery email addresses, phone numbers, and forwarding rules for changes you did not make.

If you cannot sign in, use the provider’s official account recovery process. Do not pay anyone who offers to get your account back through unofficial methods.

Step 4: Protect your phone and computer

If you clicked a link but did not enter information or download anything, that alone does not necessarily mean your device is infected. If you installed an app, opened an unexpected file, or gave someone remote access, take extra care.

1. Disconnect a device from the internet if you believe someone is actively controlling it.
2. Do not use a device that may be compromised to change important passwords or access your bank.
3. From another trusted device, change passwords for affected accounts and contact your bank if financial details may be exposed.
4. Remove remote-access software only if you know what it is and can do so safely; otherwise, ask a trusted technician or the device maker for help.
5. Run a scan using reputable security software that is already installed or obtained from an official source.
6. Install operating system and browser updates after you have secured your accounts.

If the device continues behaving unusually, seek help from a reputable computer repair professional or the manufacturer’s support service. Avoid search advertisements and unexpected calls claiming to be technical support.

Step 5: Save evidence of what happened

You may need details of the scam when speaking to your bank, an online platform, or a fraud-reporting service. Keep records before deleting messages or blocking accounts.

1. Save emails, text messages, chat conversations, and relevant website addresses.
2. Take screenshots showing the sender, profile name, phone number, or account details.
3. Keep payment receipts, bank statements, transaction IDs, and dates.
4. Write a short timeline of what happened, including what information you shared.
5. Store the records somewhere safe, but do not share passwords or one-time security codes in a report.

Do not continue communicating with the scammer just to collect more evidence. The messages and payment records you already have may be enough to start a report.

Good to know: Keep the original messages where possible. A screenshot is useful, but the original email or message may contain additional details that investigators or service providers can examine.

Step 6: Report the scam

Reporting can help authorities and service providers identify patterns and warn other people. The right place to report depends on where you live and what happened.

If you are in the US:

1. Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
2. If the scam involved online crime, you can also submit a report to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
3. Report the account, advert, or message to the website, marketplace, social network, or email provider where you encountered it.

If you are in the UK:

1. Report fraud or cybercrime through Report Fraud.
2. If you are in Scotland, use the reporting guidance provided by Police Scotland.
3. Report the profile, message, or advert to the platform where you saw it.

If you are elsewhere, contact your country’s official fraud-reporting service or local police. If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency service.

Step 7: Watch for follow-up scams and check your records

After a scam, you may be contacted again by someone claiming they can help. They might say they work for a bank, law enforcement agency, a government department, or a company that recovers stolen money.

1. Treat unexpected offers to recover money with caution.
2. Verify any claimed organization using contact details you find independently.
3. Check your bank and card statements regularly for unfamiliar transactions.
4. Watch for password reset emails or sign-in alerts you did not request.
5. Keep an eye on important accounts and follow any monitoring advice from your bank.

If identity documents or personal details were shared, ask the relevant official identity or credit-reporting service what protective steps are available in your country. Do not assume that changing a bank password alone addresses every possible risk.

Take one step at a time

If you’ve been scammed, acting quickly can help, but you do not have to handle everything alone. Stop contact, speak to your bank if money or financial details are involved, secure affected accounts, save evidence, and report what happened. Being scammed is not a personal failure; these schemes are designed to deceive people, and asking for help is a sensible next step.