I sent money to a scammer
First, take a breath. This happens to smart, careful people every day, because scammers are professionals who practice their stories on thousands of people. What you do in the next hour matters far more than how it happened, so let's get moving.
This playbook is for you if you paid someone who turned out to be a scammer: a "prince" with an inheritance, a romance, a prize, a fake bank or government caller, a job, an investment, a seller who never shipped. It's also for helping someone who did, whether that's a parent, a grandparent or a kid.
Do this now
- Stop paying. Don't send another cent, even if they promise it will unlock a refund, a prize or your money back. Stop replying to them too.
- Call the company you paid with. That's your bank, your card company, the payment app, the gift card company or the money transfer service. Use the number on the back of your card, on a statement or in the official app, never a number the scammer gave you. Say "I've been scammed" and ask them to stop or reverse the payment.
- Lock the doors they might still have. Did you share a password, a code sent to your phone or your bank login? Change that password now, from a device you trust. If you let them control your computer, also follow A scary warning took over my screen.
- Keep everything. Screenshots of the messages, phone numbers, usernames, receipts, gift cards, transaction numbers. Don't delete the conversation, even if it's embarrassing. The bank and the police will want it.
- Tell someone you trust. Scammers count on you keeping quiet. A second person helps you think clearly, which makes it much harder for the scammer to come back for more.
Speed matters. Some payments can still be stopped in the first few hours. After that it gets harder, but it's always worth asking, even days later.
Who to call depends on how you paid
| How you paid | Who to call | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card | The card company, on the number on the back of the card | Dispute the charge. Ask for a new card number if the scammer has your card details. |
| Debit card | Your bank or credit union | Dispute the charge. Ask them to block the card and send a new one. |
| Bank transfer, Zelle or your bank's app | Your bank or credit union | Stop the transfer if it's still pending, or reverse it. Ask them to contact the bank that received it. |
| Wire transfer from your bank | Your bank, today | A wire recall. Ask them to contact the receiving bank right away. |
| Western Union, MoneyGram or Ria | Western Union 1-800-448-1492, MoneyGram 1-800-926-9400, Ria 1-877-443-1399 (Walmart transfers: 1-855-355-2144) | Tell them a scammer tricked you. Ask them to stop the pickup, then refund you. |
| Venmo, Cash App, PayPal or another app | The app's own help or report option. If a card or bank account is linked, call that company too. | Report the payment as fraud. Ask for a reversal. |
| Gift cards | The company named on the card, on the number on the back | Tell them a scammer has the card numbers. Ask them to freeze what's left on the cards, then refund you. Keep the cards with their receipts. |
| Cryptocurrency or a Bitcoin ATM | The exchange or the ATM company | Report the transaction as fraud. Ask whether anything can be frozen. Save the transaction ID with the wallet address you sent to. |
| Cash in the mail | US Postal Inspection Service 1-877-876-2455. Sent by FedEx or UPS? Call them instead. | Ask whether the package can be stopped before it's delivered. |
| A check | Your bank | A stop payment, if it hasn't been cashed yet. |
Tell them exactly what happened. Say whether you sent the money yourself because you were tricked, or someone got into your account to send it. The rules differ between the two, so the facts get you the right kind of help. Don't worry about the right words: describe what happened, then let them decide how to file it.
Write it all down: the date, who you spoke to, the case number, what they promised to do next. If the first answer is no, ask for the fraud department or a supervisor, then ask for the decision in writing. If a bank or card company won't help, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
What to say
Hi, I need to report fraud. I was tricked into sending [amount] on [date] by [card, transfer, app or gift card]. The reference number is [number]. Please stop or reverse the payment if you can. What happens next, and what's my case number?
Getting money back isn't guaranteed. Credit cards usually have the strongest protections. Gift cards, wires, crypto and cash are the hardest to recover, which is exactly why scammers ask for them. Ask anyway: some people do get money back, especially when they call fast.
Did you share more than money?
Scammers often collect passwords, codes or personal details along the way. Check each one that applies:
| What you shared | What to do now |
|---|---|
| A password | Change it, then change it anywhere else you used the same one. Start with your email. |
| A code sent by text or email | Someone was probably signing in to your account. Change that account's password right away, then follow Someone got into my email or social media. |
| Your online banking login | Call the bank. Ask them to lock online access until you've set a new password with them. |
| Your card number | Ask the card company to cancel the card. |
| Your Social Security number, date of birth or a photo of your ID | Go to IdentityTheft.gov for a personal recovery plan, then freeze your credit (below). |
| Control of your computer | Follow A scary warning took over my screen. |
Freeze your credit
A credit freeze stops anyone opening new credit in your name. It's free, it doesn't affect your credit score, and you can lift it any time you need to apply for something. You set it up separately with each of the three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It takes about 15 minutes in all.
Report it
Reporting rarely brings money back by itself. It does help police connect cases, which is how scammers get caught.
- The FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or call 1-877-382-4357.
- The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center: ic3.gov, if any of it happened online (email, a website, social media, a dating app, a game).
- Your local police, on their non-emergency number. A police report number helps with your bank, your insurance or an identity theft claim.
- The place you met them: report the profile to the dating site, marketplace, social network or game, so it can't be used on the next person.
Age 60 or over? Call the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311), weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern. It's run by the US Department of Justice. A case manager will help you report it, then point you to other help. The AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline (877-908-3360) is free for anyone, member or not.
Watch for the second scam
People who've paid once get targeted again. Over the next few months, expect calls or messages like these:
- "We're from the FBI (or the FTC, a law firm, a 'recovery' company). We've found your money. There's just a small fee to release it."
- "We caught the scammer. Pay the court costs and your refund is on its way."
- The same scammer, back with a new story about why one more payment fixes everything.
Nobody legitimate charges a fee to get your money back. Government agencies never ask for gift cards, crypto or wire transfers. Hang up, then check any claim by calling a number you look up yourself. The FTC explains more about refund and recovery scams.
If it was your kid
Kids get scammed too: fake "free Robux" sites, traders in games who never deliver, a new online "friend" who suddenly needs money. What helps most:
- Stay calm, then thank them for telling you. If coming to you gets them in trouble, they won't tell you next time. The scammer is the one who did wrong.
- Work out what happened together: what they sent, where they sent it, what else they shared (passwords, your card number, photos).
- Game purchases on your card or account? Ask the app store or the game company for a refund through its "report a problem" or refund page. Then turn on purchase approval, so every new purchase needs your OK. Our guide to kids and online games shows where the settings are.
- Game account stolen? Change the password, turn on two-step sign-in, then contact the game's support. Someone got into my email or social media walks through it.
- Paid because someone threatened to share a photo? That's a crime called sextortion. Your child is the victim, not the one in trouble. Don't pay any more, keep the messages, then report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline (1-800-843-5678, any time).
If it was your parent or grandparent
- Lead with kindness. "How could you?" makes people hide the next one. These scams are built by professionals to fool exactly the qualities we love in our parents: trust, generosity, wanting to help.
- Check whether it's still going on. Romance scams, "your grandchild is in jail" calls, fake government agents and lottery scams often run for months, with payment after payment. If they still believe the scammer, that's normal: the scammer has worked hard to earn that trust. Keep talking, gently.
- With their permission, call the bank together. Ask about alerts for large payments, or adding you as a trusted contact the bank can call if something looks wrong.
- Get free, expert help: the National Elder Fraud Hotline (1-833-372-8311) or the AARP helpline (877-908-3360). If someone keeps taking advantage of them, the hotline can connect you with Adult Protective Services where they live.
Once things calm down
- Watch your statements for the next few months. Turn on transaction alerts in your banking app, so a strange payment pings your phone.
- Agree on a family rule: before paying anyone in a hurry, call one person first. Our printable scam sheet has a space for the names, ready to stick by the phone.
- Remember the rules that never change. No real bank, company or government agency asks for gift cards, crypto, a wire or cash by courier. Anyone who tells you to keep it secret is a scammer.
- Be kind to yourself. Feeling foolish is normal, but it isn't fair. You were targeted by people who do this for a living. Telling others what happened is one of the best ways to stop it happening to them.
Sources
We checked these on October 14, 2026. Phone numbers and processes change, so if something here doesn't match, the organization's own page wins.
- FTC: What to do if you were scammed, What to know before you wire money, Gift card scams, Recovery scams, Credit freezes
- IdentityTheft.gov (FTC) and ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- FBI: Internet Crime Complaint Center
- NCMEC: CyberTipline
- US Department of Justice: National Elder Fraud Hotline
- AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline