If you have just sent money and suspect it went to a scammer, time can matter. This guide covers what to do in the immediate aftermath, in a practical order.
In the first hour
Stop any further payments. If you are being asked to send more money — for any reason, including to “reverse” the original payment — do not send it.
Contact your bank or payment provider immediately. Use the number on the back of your card or your bank’s official app or website, not a number given to you by anyone connected to the payment. Explain that you believe the payment was fraudulent and ask what can be done. Some payments can be recalled or flagged if reported quickly, particularly bank transfers reported within hours.
If cryptocurrency was involved, note the transaction hash and the receiving wallet address. If the funds were sent to an address associated with a known exchange, that exchange’s support or fraud-reporting team can sometimes assist, though this depends heavily on the specific circumstances.
In the first day
Change your passwords, starting with your email and banking, particularly if you shared any login details or clicked a link connected to the scam.
Write down what happened while it is fresh in your memory: how you were contacted, what you were told, and the sequence of events leading to the payment. This is more reliable than trying to reconstruct it later.
Gather your records: payment confirmations, messages, and any documents or screenshots connected to the request. Our evidence guide has a fuller checklist.
In the first week
Report the matter to the police or the relevant fraud-reporting body in your country. This creates an official record, even if it does not lead to an immediate individual resolution.
Follow up with your bank in writing if you have not received a clear response, and keep a record of who you spoke to and when.
Consider a case assessment. Once the immediate steps above are underway, we can review the details of what happened and explain what options, if any, may be worth pursuing from here.
Watch for a second approach
It is common to be contacted again afterwards by someone claiming they can recover the money for an upfront fee. This is a separate scam — a genuine process never requires you to pay to get your own money back.
You are not alone in this
Sending money to a scammer can happen to anyone, regardless of how careful or experienced they normally are — these schemes are specifically designed to be convincing. Acting on the practical steps above, rather than dwelling on how it happened, is the most useful thing you can do next.