Start with these steps
- Stop further contact and payments. Do not send an additional “fee,” “tax,” “deposit,” or “recovery payment,” even if someone promises it will release or return money.
- Contact the payment provider promptly. Use the official banking app, the number on the back of a card, or the provider’s official website. Explain the payment and ask what protective or reversal steps may be available.
- Secure affected accounts. Change reused or exposed passwords, review recent activity, and follow the provider’s current security instructions. Use a trusted device when possible.
- Save records privately. Keep receipts, transaction identifiers, dates, usernames, messages, and screenshots. Do not post account numbers or full transaction details publicly.
- Review reporting options. The best route depends on how the payment happened and whether the contact involved online crime, identity information, or a local threat.
What to tell the payment provider
Use plain facts: when the payment was sent, the amount, the method, what the recipient claimed, and whether account credentials or device access were also shared. Ask the provider to explain the next steps for that specific payment method. Do not call a number supplied by the person who requested the money.
If a card or bank account was involved
Use the official institution route and ask it to review the transaction and account security. Follow its instructions for cards, account numbers, passwords, and monitoring.
If a payment app, wire, gift card, cash, or cryptocurrency was involved
Contact the company that handled the payment through its official support route. The FTC’s current guide lists payment-specific steps and explains what to ask. Options vary by method and timing. If a gift card was involved, use Scrammer’s gift card scam guide.
Choose other steps based on what happened
- If you shared personal or account information, use the personal-information guide.
- If someone accessed a computer or phone, use the tech-support and device-access guide.
- If the request claimed to come from a government agency, read the government impersonation guide.
- If you want to make a consumer fraud report, review the FTC’s official ReportFraud service.
- If the conduct was online, review the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s current instructions. Submitting a complaint does not guarantee investigation or contact.
Official sources
- FTC: What To Do if You Were ScammedPayment-specific and information-specific response steps. Last reviewed September 19, 2026.
- FTC ReportFraudOfficial consumer fraud reporting portal. A report does not guarantee individual investigation or recovery.
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint CenterOfficial complaint intake for cyber-enabled crime. The FBI decides whether and how a complaint may be used.