Call your card issuer now.
Use the number on the back of your card or in your banking app.
“I think I paid a scammer. The payment was [amount] on [date] to [name]. I want to dispute it. Can you stop any further charges and tell me what to send in writing?”
Dispute the payment
A dispute may recover the payment. In the UK, Section 75 may also cover a breach of contract or misrepresentation for an item costing over £100 and up to £30,000. Conditions apply.
Call today
US: to preserve federal billing-error rights, send written notice to the issuer’s billing-inquiries address within 60 days after it sent the first statement with the error. Call today as well.
Call your bank’s fraud team.
Use your banking app or the number on your card. Ask about chargeback for a purchase that went wrong.
“I need to report a scam involving my debit card. [Explain whether you made the payment or someone else did.] Please secure the card and explain my dispute options and deadlines.”
Ask about a dispute
Recovery may be possible through a purchase dispute or unauthorised-payment protections. Tell the bank exactly who made the payment. The rules differ.
Don’t wait
US: report a lost or stolen card within 2 business days of learning about it to limit liability. Report unauthorised statement transactions within 60 days after the statement was sent. Don’t wait for either limit.
Ask your bank to recall it.
Open your banking app or call the bank’s published fraud number. Ask it to contact the receiving bank immediately.
“I was tricked into sending [amount] to [account] on [date]. Please try to stop or recall the transfer. Record this as a scam report and assess whether I qualify for reimbursement.”
Recall or reimbursement
A recall can fail once money has moved. UK: eligible APP scams paid by UK Faster Payments or CHAPS from 7 October 2024 have reimbursement protection up to £85,000. Exceptions and a possible excess apply.
Call now
Call now. UK: report an APP scam as soon as possible and within 13 months. International transfers are outside these UK reimbursement rules.
Open a dispute in the wallet.
For PayPal, open the transaction in the Resolution Center. For another wallet, use its own app or official support site.
“I’m reporting this payment because [the item never arrived / it wasn’t as described / I didn’t authorise it]. What protection applies, and when must I escalate the dispute to a claim?”
Check buyer protection
Eligible purchases may have buyer protection. PayPal Friends and Family payments are excluded from Purchase Protection. Other wallets have their own rules.
Check the deadline
PayPal US: item not received, open a dispute within 180 days of payment. Not as described, within 30 days of delivery or 180 days of payment, whichever is sooner. Check your local policy and the escalation deadline.
Report it to the exchange.
Use the exchange’s official app or support site. Give it the transaction hash and receiving wallet address.
“I sent crypto to a scammer. Here is the transaction hash, wallet address and time. Can your fraud team flag the receiving account or stop any pending withdrawal?”
Difficult to recover
Completed on-chain transfers generally cannot be reversed. Recovery is difficult. Still report it to the exchange and police; don’t pay anyone claiming they can undo the transaction.
Immediately
Report it immediately. There is no card-style chargeback for an on-chain transfer. Don’t send a second payment to ‘release’ or ‘verify’ your funds.
Call the gift card issuer.
Use the contact details printed on the card or the issuer’s official site. Keep the card and purchase receipt.
“A scammer took my gift card numbers. Can you freeze the remaining balance and refund it? I have the card and receipt. Please give me a report reference.”
Ask the issuer
Ask even if the payment was a while ago. A refund may be possible, but there is no guarantee. The issuer needs the card details to investigate.
Report it now
Report it now, before the balance is spent. Don’t send the scammer another code, even if they say it is needed for a refund.
Ask the service to stop payout.
Use the service’s official fraud support page or the number on your receipt. Have the transfer reference ready.
“This transfer was part of a scam. Has it been collected or deposited? Please cancel it if possible and open a fraud claim. My transfer reference is [reference].”
Try to stop collection
Stopping an uncollected transfer offers a better route to a refund. Once paid out, recovery is harder. Western Union still accepts fraud claims for review after collection.
Before it’s collected
Act before the recipient collects or receives the money. If it was a wire sent by your bank, call the bank’s fraud team as well.
Report it in the app. Tell your bank.
Use official in-app support. For Zelle, contact the bank or credit union that sent the payment.
“I need to report a scam payment to [recipient]. [Explain who actually sent it.] Can you reverse it or assess it for reimbursement? Please secure my account and give me a case number.”
Depends on the payment
Payments you sent yourself can be hard to recover. Zelle says qualifying impostor scams may be reimbursed. US protections may apply if a scammer used credentials stolen or obtained by deception to send the payment.
Immediately
Report it immediately to the app and linked bank. US: report unauthorised electronic transfers within 60 days after the statement was sent; shorter deadlines can apply to a lost or stolen access device.
Tell the provider whether you sent the payment or someone accessed your account and sent it. That distinction affects your rights.
Then work through the rest.
Close the way they got in.
Work through anything you shared. If they still have remote access, disconnect that device now.
Gave a password?
On a trusted device, change it on the real site and anywhere you reused it. Sign out other sessions. Turn on two-step verification.
Card or bank details?
Tell your bank what you shared. Freeze the card in its app if available. Ask about replacement and check for payments you don’t recognise.
Sent ID?
Tell the issuing authority. In the US, IdentityTheft.gov gives a recovery plan, including credit-freeze steps where appropriate.
Gave remote access?
Disconnect it from the internet. Use another device to call your bank and change passwords. Remove remote-access software and get it checked before banking again.
Save the proof.
Save what you can without replying or sending more money. Don’t delay your bank call to finish this list.
Keep originals for your bank and police. Redact private details from public posts.
Keep a copy somewhere safe
Ticks stay on this page only. Reloading clears them.
Put it on record.
Report where you live, even if the scammer is abroad. Also report the account, advert or listing to the platform where you found it.
A report does not replace a payment dispute or guarantee a refund. Save the report reference, the date you reported it, who you spoke to, the next step and any deadline.
WHERE TO REPORT
OFFICIAL ROUTES BY REGION
United States
FTC · ReportFraudFor internet crime, also file with the FBI at IC3.
United Kingdom
Report FraudEngland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
Use Report Cybercrime and Fraud. Report losses to local police too.
Australia
ScamwatchFor cybercrime, also use ReportCyber.
Ireland
An Garda SíochánaReport to your local Garda station, by phone or in person.
European Union
Your national policeEuropol lists national reporting routes. It cannot take public crime reports.
New Zealand
NZ Police · 105Use the online non-emergency report or call 105.
SAVE YOUR REPORT REFERENCE.
Before you reply
The next message may be a second scam.
Someone contacts you offering to recover your money for a fee. They may know exactly what you lost. That doesn’t make them legitimate.
We located your lost funds. Our team can guarantee full recovery.
1No stranger can guarantee a refund.
Send a release fee of $250 in crypto to receive your refund today.
2Paying to get paid is the trap.
- Don’t pay them.
- Don’t share bank details, passwords or wallet recovery phrases.
- Save the message, report it, then block the sender.
A few loose ends.
Last reviewed November 2026. General guidance, not legal or financial advice.
Rules depend on your country, provider and payment. Use the official sources linked in your plan to check what applies.
When you’re ready, warn the next person.
Find the company on Scam Finder and write a factual review. Include what you paid for, when it happened and how it ended. Keep private details out.
Search a company, then open its page to write a review.