Just got scammed? Take a breath — then move fast. The first 24 hours are the most important window for getting money back and stopping more damage. Here's exactly what to do, in order.
Within 15 minutes: call your bank or card issuer and request an immediate freeze plus dispute. Card payments have a 60-day chargeback window — the sooner you call, the better the outcome.
Depends on how you paid. Credit card: very good (chargeback). Debit card: good if reported within 2 business days. PayPal Goods & Services: good. Bank transfer / Zelle / wire / PayPal Friends & Family / gift cards / crypto: very hard — but report immediately anyway, occasionally funds are intercepted.
Yes, immediately. Some scams (especially authorized push payment fraud) are now covered by bank refund schemes — but only if you report fast. Don't be embarrassed; banks see thousands of cases a day.
Password: change it everywhere it was reused, enable 2FA. SSN: place a fraud alert at all 3 credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) and consider a credit freeze. Monitor accounts daily for 90 days. File at identitytheft.gov.
No — they are the second-stage scam. Recovery scammers target victims of the first scam, demand upfront fees, and disappear. Real authorities don't cold-DM victims.
FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, IC3 at ic3.gov (if any internet involvement), your local police (for the case number — insurance often requires it), and ScamGuard so we warn other users about the scammer.
1 free check, no signup needed. Then create an account for unlimited investigations.
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