What to Do If You Sent Money to a Scammer
If you've already sent money to a scammer, acting quickly and in the right order gives you the best chance of limiting further damage and, in some cases, recovering funds.
Stop all further contact and payments
Do not send any additional money, even if the scammer claims it's needed to "unlock" or "release" your original payment — that's a common follow-up scam tactic.
Contact your bank or payment provider immediately
Call the number on the back of your card or your bank's official app — not a number provided by the scammer. Ask about reversing the transaction or disputing the charge.
Report it to the platform involved
If the scam happened through a dating app, marketplace, or social media platform, report the account so it can be investigated and potentially removed.
File a report with the FTC
Go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov to file a report. For online-specific scams, IC3.gov (the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center) is also worth filing with.
Document everything
Save screenshots of messages, transaction records, and any correspondence. This documentation matters both for reporting and for a potential legal case review.
Key takeaway
The order matters: stop contact first, then call your bank, then report to the platform and the FTC — all as quickly as possible after realizing what happened.
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