Find out what to do if you paid someone you think is a scammer, or
if you gave a scammer your personal information or access to your computer or
phone.
If You Paid a Scammer
| Did you pay
with a credit card or debit card? |
Contact the company or
bank that issued the credit
card or debit
card. Report
any
fraudulent charges and follow their
instructions for next steps. |
| Did a scammer make an unauthorized transfer from your bank account? | Contact your bank and
inform them of
any unauthorized debit or
withdrawal so they can take
action. |
| Did you pay with a gift card? | Contact the company that
issued the gift
card. Tell them it was used
in a scam and see what your options
are for next steps. Keep the gift card
itself, and the gift card receipt. |
| Did you send
a wire transfer through a company like Western Union or MoneyGram? |
Contact the wire transfer company. Tell them it was a fraudulent transfer. Find out if it is possible to recall the transfer.
|
| Did you send
a wire transfer through your bank? |
Contact your bank and
report the
transfer that was sent as a
result of the scam. They will provide you
with next steps to take.
|
| Did you send money through a money transfer app? | Report the fraudulent
transaction to the company behind the money transfer
app and ask them to reverse
the payment. If you linked the app to a credit card or debit card,
report the fraud to your credit card company or
bank. |
| Did you pay with cryptocurrency? | Cryptocurrency
payments typically are not reversible. Once you pay with
cryptocurrency, you can only get your money back if the person you paid
sends it back. But contact the company you used to send the money and tell
them it was a fraudulent transaction. |
| Did you send cash? |
If you sent cash by U.S. mail, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455 and ask them to intercept the package. To learn more about this process, visit USPS Package Intercept: The Basics. If you used another delivery service, contact them as soon as
possible. |
If You Gave a Scammer Your Personal
Information
| Did you give a scammer
your Social Security number? |
Go to IdentityTheft.gov to see what steps to take, including how to monitor your credit. |
| Did you give a scammer your username and password? | Create a new, strong password. If you use the same password anywhere else, change it there, too. |
If a Scammer Has Access to Your Computer or Phone
| Does a scammer have remote access to your computer? | Update your computer’s
security software, run a scan, and delete anything it identifies as
a problem. Then take other steps to protect
your personal information. |
| Did a scammer take control of your cell phone number and account? |
Contact your service provider to take back control of your phone number. Once you do, change your account password. Also check your credit card, bank, and other financial accounts for unauthorized charges or changes. If you see any, report them to the company or institution. Then go to IdentityTheft.gov to see what steps you should take. |
Report a Scam to the FTC
When you report a scam, the FTC can use the information to build cases
against scammers, spot trends, educate the public, and share data about what is
happening in your community. If you experienced a scam - or even spotted one,
report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.