What to do if you sent money to a scammer
Acting fast gives the best chance of stopping or recovering a payment. Banks can sometimes halt a transfer if you call quickly.
Quick answer
Acting fast gives the best chance of stopping or recovering a payment. Banks can sometimes halt a transfer if you call quickly.
- Contact your bank or payment provider immediately
- Ask them to stop or recall the payment
- Save the transaction reference and recipient details
- Do not send any further payments
Do this now
- Contact your bank/payment provider immediately to stop or recall it.
- Report to your national fraud/cybercrime body.
- Keep all payment references as evidence.
Understanding what happened
Sending money to a scammer is distressing, but the next hour matters more than the mistake. Some payments can be stopped, recalled, or disputed if you contact your bank, payment app, or exchange immediately - so the single most useful thing you can do right now is make that call before doing anything else.
How recoverable it is depends on the method. Card payments often have the strongest protection; bank transfers and 'authorised push payments' are harder but still worth reporting fast; gift cards and crypto are the hardest because they're designed to be irreversible. Knowing which you used helps you and your bank act realistically.
Save everything before it disappears: amounts, dates, reference numbers, the account or wallet you paid, and the messages that led to it. This evidence is what your bank and the authorities use to attempt recovery and to investigate, and it's far easier to gather now than later.
Finally, brace for the follow-up. People who've just lost money are immediately targeted again by fake 'recovery agents', 'lawyers', or 'government teams' who promise to get it back for a fee. Genuine recovery never starts with an upfront payment to someone who contacted you - treat every such offer as a second scam.
First 5 minutes
- Contact your bank or payment provider immediately
- Ask them to stop or recall the payment
- Save the transaction reference and recipient details
- Do not send any further payments
First 24 hours
- File a report with your country's fraud authority
- Keep all evidence: screenshots, receipts, messages
- Watch for recovery scams promising to get your money back
- Review your accounts for further unauthorised activity
Next 7 days
- Follow up on any recall or dispute.
- Watch for recovery-scam follow-ups.
- Monitor your accounts.
What not to do
- Do not pay anyone who promises to recover your money for an upfront fee
- Do not act on follow-up messages claiming to be the fraud team
- Do not delete evidence before saving it
Evidence to save
- Screenshots of the message and sender details
- Phone numbers, usernames, links, and account or wallet addresses
- Transaction references, receipts, and amounts
How to report
- Gather your evidence first (screenshots, dates, amounts, any reference numbers).
- Report to your national fraud/cybercrime body and, if money moved, to your bank.
- Find the right official links for your country in the reporting directory.
Find official reporting links for your country in the reporting directory.
- Do not use phone numbers or links from the suspicious message - look up the official ones yourself.
- Report quickly if money was sent or ID documents were shared; speed improves your options.
- Keep your evidence - see how to save scam evidence.
Beware of recovery scams: no legitimate service guarantees getting your money back for an upfront fee.
Stop it happening again
Before paying anyone you've only dealt with online, verify them independently and prefer payment methods with buyer protection over transfers, gift cards, or crypto.
Build in a pause for any urgent or secret money request - sleep on it, or check with someone you trust. Urgency plus secrecy is the signature of a scam.
Related scam types
Related red flags
Related terms
This is general safety information, not legal, financial, or cybersecurity incident-response advice.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly should I act?
As soon as possible. Fast action - especially contacting your bank - gives the best chance of limiting harm or stopping a payment.
Will I get my money back?
Sometimes, if you act quickly, but there is no guarantee. Be very cautious of anyone who promises guaranteed recovery for an upfront fee - that is a recovery scam.
Can I get my money back?
Sometimes, especially if you act before the payment settles and you used a method with protection. There's no guarantee - but reporting fast to your bank or provider and to authorities gives the best chance.
Someone offered to recover it for a fee - should I?
No. Upfront-fee 'recovery' offers are a second scam targeting people who already lost money. Report through official channels instead.