Realising you have been scammed is disorientating, and it is common to feel unsure what to do first. The steps below are a practical starting point, not a guarantee of any particular outcome — but acting methodically in the first few days can make a real difference to what options remain open to you.
1. Stop all further contact and payments
If you are still in contact with the person, company or platform involved, stop responding and do not send any further money. This includes requests to pay a “fee” to release funds, unlock a withdrawal, or cover a “tax” — these are almost always signs of a continuing scam rather than a genuine step toward getting your money back.
2. Secure your accounts and devices
If you shared any login details, installed software at someone’s request, or granted remote access to your computer, treat your accounts as compromised. Change your passwords, starting with your email and banking, enable two-factor authentication where available, and run a security scan on any device you gave access to.
3. Contact your bank or payment provider
Report the transaction to your bank, card issuer or payment provider as soon as possible. Some payments can be stopped or reversed if reported quickly, and your provider may be able to flag the receiving account to prevent others being affected. Ask for written confirmation of what was reported and when.
4. Gather your records
Before any messages, accounts or apps are deleted or become inaccessible, gather together what you have:
- Messages, emails or call logs with the person, company or platform
- Screenshots of websites, apps or account dashboards
- Payment confirmations, transaction IDs or wallet addresses
- Any names, companies or registration details you were given
Our evidence checklist covers this in more detail if you are unsure what is worth keeping.
5. Consider reporting to the relevant authorities
Reporting the matter to the police or the fraud-reporting body in your country creates an official record and can assist wider investigations, even if it does not lead to an immediate resolution for your individual case.
6. Have your situation assessed
Once the immediate steps above are underway, a case assessment can help you understand what happened more clearly and what, if anything, may be worth pursuing next. This is not a substitute for reporting to your bank or the authorities — it works alongside those steps.
A note on what comes next
It is common to be contacted again after a scam, sometimes by someone claiming they can recover your money for an upfront fee. This is a separate scam, not a genuine recovery service — a legitimate process never requires you to pay a fee to get your own money back.
Whatever happened, acting on the practical steps above — rather than searching for a shortcut back to where you started — is the most reliable way to protect yourself going forward.