Scam Recovery Checklist: What to Do Right Now

I got scammed: what do I do first?

Start with the step for how you paid and for what you shared. Each one comes from the official page linked with it. Tick the boxes above to get the full plan, in order.

By how you paid

• A credit card: Call your credit card company using the number on the back of your card (or log in to your account). Report the charge as fraud and ask them to refund it. (FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed) Step by step: I Gave a Scammer My Credit Card Number: What to Do Now.
• A debit card: Call your bank or credit union using the number on the back of your card. Report the payment and ask them to refund your money. (FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed)
• A bank transfer or Zelle: Call your bank or credit union right away. Tell them it was a scam and ask them to reverse the payment and refund your money. (FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed) Step by step: I Paid a Scammer Through Zelle: What to Do Now.
• Cash App: Report it to Cash App right away and ask them to reverse the payment: Profile > Support, or 1-800-969-1940. (FTC: Mobile Payment Apps: How to Avoid a Scam When You Use One) Step by step: Scammed on Cash App? How to Try to Get Your Money Back.
• Venmo: Report it to Venmo right away and ask them to reverse the payment: Profile > Get Help, or 1-855-812-4430. (FTC: Mobile Payment Apps: How to Avoid a Scam When You Use One) Step by step: Scammed on Venmo? What to Do Now and How to Try to Get Money Back.
• PayPal: Report it to PayPal right away and ask them to reverse the payment: Resolution Center, or 1-888-221-1161. (FTC: Mobile Payment Apps: How to Avoid a Scam When You Use One) Step by step: Scammed on PayPal? How to Try to Get Your Money Back.
• A wire transfer (Western Union, MoneyGram, Ria): Call the company, tell them a scammer tricked you into sending money and ask for a refund. MoneyGram: 1-800-926-9400. Western Union: 1-800-448-1492. Ria: 1-877-443-1399 (Walmart2Walmart or Walmart2World: 1-855-355-2144). If you wired it from your bank, call your bank. (FTC: What To Know Before You Wire Money)
• A gift card: Call the company that issued the gift card (the number is usually on the back). Say a scammer got the card number and PIN, and ask for a refund. (FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed) Step by step: I Paid a Scammer With Gift Cards: What to Do Now.
• Cryptocurrency (including a crypto ATM): Contact the exchange or crypto ATM operator you used. Report the transaction as fraud and ask them to reverse it. (FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed) Step by step: Paid a Scammer at a Bitcoin ATM? What to Do Now.
• Cash sent by mail or courier: If you mailed it with USPS, call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455: for a fee, they may be able to intercept the package. If you used FedEx or UPS, call them right away. (FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed)

By what you gave them or let them do

• My Social Security number: Report it at IdentityTheft.gov and follow the personalized recovery plan it gives you. (FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed) Step by step: I Gave a Scammer My Social Security Number: What to Do Now.
• Bank account or card numbers: Call your bank or card company using the number on your card or statement. Tell them the numbers were given to a scammer and ask them to protect the account. (FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed) Step by step: I Gave a Scammer My Bank Account Number: What to Do Now.
• A password or login: If you can still sign in, change that password now, plus anywhere you reused it, and turn on two-factor authentication. (FTC: Creating Strong Passwords and Other Ways To Protect Your Accounts)
• Other personal details (date of birth, driver's license, passport): Go to IdentityTheft.gov and follow the steps for each type of information that was exposed. (FTC: How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams) Step by step: A Scammer Has My Name, Address or Phone Number: What Can They Do?.
• I let them remote into my computer or phone: Update your security software, run a full scan and delete anything it flags as a problem. (FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed) Step by step: I Let a Scammer Into My Computer: What to Do Now.
• I clicked a link or opened an attachment: Update your security software, run a full scan and delete anything it flags as a problem. (FTC: How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams) Step by step: I Clicked a Phishing Link: What to Do Now (Phone or Computer).

How this checklist works

Each step comes from an official U.S. government page, linked under the step, mostly the Federal Trade Commission's guide What To Do if You Were Scammed. We group the steps by urgency and remove duplicates. We don't add anything the official sources don't say.

If you are in danger or being threatened, call 911. If the scammer is still in contact, stop replying. Scammers often come back pretending to be the police, your bank or a "recovery" service.

Not sure which agency handles your case? See where to report each type of scam.