I’ve been scammed!

1. Before you block, screenshot everything: all chats, transaction confirmations, wallet addresses, and the website.You need this evidence to file reports and claims.
2. Ensure you report the fraud and cancel any transfers with banks and other financial institutions immediately.Wires and transfers are time-sensitive — review all scenarios and associated steps below in the next section.
3. Refuse additional request for fee and consider blocking the scammer on every phone number, email, and app.Cutting contact stops the pressure and prevents the “second attempt” they often make to get as much as possible.
4. Move to the “Get it on the record” steps below to file your reports.

1. Complete the “They only got money” steps first.
2. Go to IdentityTheft.gov↗ opens in a new tab and start a recovery plan.It builds a personalized, step-by-step checklist and even pre-fills the dispute letters you’ll need.
3. Freeze your credit at all three bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each freeze is free and you can lift it anytime.A freeze blocks anyone from opening new credit in your name. It’s an effective move against identity theft.
4. Consider an IRS Identity Protection PIN↗ opens in a new tab if your SSN was exposed.It stops someone from filing a fraudulent tax return under your name.

1. From a different, clean device (a phone or computer the scammer never touched), change the passwords on your email, bank, and any exposed accounts.If you change passwords on the compromised device, they may see you do it. Start clean.
2. Turn on two-factor authentication everywhere, and sign out of all active sessions in each account’s security settings.This kicks the scammer out of anything they’re still logged into.
3. Delete any remote-access software they had you install — names like AnyDesk, TeamViewer, or “support” tools.As long as it’s installed, they can watch your screen and control your device.
4. If a crypto wallet was exposed, move any remaining funds to a brand-new wallet with a brand-new seed phrase.A seed phrase can never be made safe again once someone has seen it. The old wallet is compromised forever.

1. Complete the “They only got money” steps first. Then stop any pending loan draws or transfers that you still can — call your bank or lender’s fraud line, or use their app, to stop them.
2. Flag the tax hit now: money pulled from an IRA or 401(k) counts as taxable income even though it was stolen.Understanding and documenting it today means it won’t blindside you at tax time — and a professional may be able to soften it.
3. Talk to a free nonprofit credit counselor at the NFCC↗ opens in a new tab before the debt compounds.They may be able to help restructure payments and deal with lenders — counseling is free — and can help you avoid the “debt relief” scams that prey on this exact moment.

1. File with the FBI at IC3.gov↗ opens in a new tab immediately. This is the master record investigators search when they seize money. Providing detail — every wallet address, transaction ID, phone number, and website involved — is what gets you matched to a payout later.
2. Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov↗ opens in a new tab.This feeds a national database used by law enforcement across the country.
3. Create a timeline: every date, amount, wallet address, and how each payment was made.The timeline will help with later filings — bank claim, petition, tax deduction &mdash. Do it while it’s fresh.
4. File a report with your local police and get the case number in writing — your timeline and other reports become part of it.Banks and some programs require a police report number before they’ll act.

Good to know: Save confirmation numbers, case numbers, etc. from all four. You’ll need them for later stages.

1. Call your bank’s fraud department now — use the number on their website. Say: “I need to recall a fraudulent wire or transfer and place a hold for investigation.”A recall asks the receiving bank to freeze and return the money before it’s withdrawn. It only works if funds are still sitting there — so hours matter.
2. If the wire was $50,000+, international, and sent within the last 72 hours, ask them to trigger the FBI’s Financial Fraud Kill Chain.This is a specific FBI process that froze $679 million in 2025. Those three conditions are the eligibility rules — say them plainly.
3. Write down the case or claim number and call the receiving bank’s fraud line if possible.Notifying both banks directly sometimes gets the account frozen faster than one bank alone.
4. If your bank stonewalls, escalate with a free complaint to the CFPB↗ opens in a new tab or the OCC.A regulator complaint may get a stalled bank to take action quicker.

Good to know: Wires are hard to reverse once withdrawn — but a recall requested within hours has a chance. ACH transfers are slower and can sometimes be returned within 1–5 business days.

1. Decide which happened: if someone took over your account and sent money without you, that’s an unauthorized transfer. If you were tricked into sending it yourself, that’s a scam. Both can be reported — but the words matter.For unauthorized transfers, federal Regulation E requires your bank to investigate and often reimburse. Say clearly: “I’m reporting an unauthorized electronic funds transfer.”
2. Call your bank and the app. Ask to file a fraud claim and request the written dispute form (often a “Written Statement of Unauthorized Debit”). For Zelle, see Zelle’s report-a-scam page↗ opens in a new tab.The signed form is the bank’s legal basis for reversing the charge — don’t skip it.
3. File within 60 days of the charge appearing on your statement.That’s the federal deadline that preserves your strongest consumer protections. Sooner is better.
4. For scams you were tricked into, file the claim anyway.Since June 2023, certain banks must reimburse qualifying imposter scams. Not all qualify — but a claim you never file can never be paid.

1. Report the fraud to the exchange’s official support or fraud team, with every transaction hash.Exchanges can freeze accounts and flag wallets on their side — but only the real company can, so use the app or a phone number directly from the official website, not a number from a stranger.
2. Ask them to flag the receiving address and preserve their records for law enforcement.A preserved record makes an investigator’s later subpoena far more effective.
3. Report the scammer’s wallet on Chainabuse↗ opens in a new tab.It warns other victims and adds weight to the case against that address.

1. Call the ATM operator’s fraud hotline — it’s printed on your receipt. Report it and ask whether the transaction can be reversed. Keep the receipt.Some operators can stop a transaction that hasn’t fully settled. The receipt has the transaction ID they’ll need.
2. Check your state’s rules — they’re changing fast. Nebraska now requires full refunds for fraud reported by new customers within 30 days, and 40+ states passed or introduced crypto-ATM laws in 2025.You may have a refund right you don’t know about — your state banking regulator can tell you.
3. Best practice is to report to your state banking regulator regardless.

Good to know: Crypto-kiosk fraud drew over 13,400 FBI complaints and $388 million in losses in 2025 alone, hitting older adults hardest — regulators are actively building refund rules around it.

1. There’s no company to call here, so the report is your recovery path. Put every wallet address and transaction hash into your IC3 filing.Investigators trace the blockchain from the addresses you give them. Complete addresses = a traceable trail.
2. Flag the scammer’s wallet on Chainabuse↗ opens in a new tab and watch it on Etherscan↗ opens in a new tab.If the funds ever move to an exchange, that’s the moment they can potentially be frozen.

1. For a gift card, call the issuer’s fraud line right away and say it was used in a scam. Keep the physical card and receipt.If the scammer hasn’t drained it yet, the company can sometimes freeze and refund it. Amazon 888-280-4331, Apple 800-275-2273, Target 800-544-2943; for Google Play, use the Google Play Help form.
2. For a wire through Western Union or MoneyGram, call the company’s fraud line, report a fraudulent transfer, and ask them to reverse it.If it hasn’t been picked up yet, it can sometimes be stopped.
3. Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov↗ opens in a new tab (or 877-FTC-HELP).

Good to know: Gift card companies increasingly flag and freeze scam funds — your receipt and card numbers help them find and refund.