For older adults and helpers
Scam help for older adults
A calm plan for pausing, verifying unexpected contact, involving a trusted person, and finding established help.
Read this guideFree educational guides
Scam help for the situation you are facing
Choose one guide for calm, practical next steps. The guidance is based on official U.S. consumer-protection information and does not determine whether fraud occurred.
Choose a scam help guide
Start with the closest match. If more than one applies, begin with the guide about money or personal information.
Money or payment
What to do after sending money
Steps to contact the payment provider through a trusted route, secure affected accounts, preserve records, and consider reporting.
Read this guideIdentity or account information
What to do after sharing personal information
Organize a response based on what was shared, protect affected accounts, and use official identity-theft guidance.
Read this guideUnexpected agency contact
Government impersonation scam help
Recognize threats and unusual payment requests, end the contact, and verify the claim through an independently located agency route.
Read this guideText message
Suspicious text message help
What to do before replying or clicking, how to verify the sender independently, and where to read current reporting guidance.
Read this guideDevice or computer access
Tech-support scam warning signs
Respond to unexpected warnings or support calls, avoid unverified remote access, and act if someone already accessed the device.
Read this guideGift card payment
Gift card scam help
What to do after sharing a gift card number or PIN, how to contact the card company, and which records to keep private.
Read this guideLink or attachment
After clicking a suspicious link
Choose next steps based on whether you entered information, downloaded something, paid, or allowed device access.
Read this guideReporting and help
How and where to report fraud
Compare the roles of payment providers, FTC ReportFraud, FBI IC3, local agencies, Adult Protective Services, and legal aid.
Read this guideBank account or bank impersonation
How to report suspected bank fraud
Choose a first step for an unauthorized transaction, exposed account information, a bank impersonator, or a problem with a financial institution.
Read this guidePrivacy when reporting
Can you report fraud anonymously?
Learn which details the FTC lets you leave out, why some reporting routes require contact information, and what to keep private.
Read this guide