If Money Was Already Sent
Do not spend the next hour arguing about the relationship. Protect the money trail.
Act quickly. Recovery is never guaranteed, but some payment methods give you a better chance if you contact the company right away.
- Stop any additional payment. Do not send a second payment to fix the first problem, unlock funds, pay taxes, release a package, or recover an investment.
- Contact the company used to send the money. Tell the bank, card issuer, wire company, payment app, gift card company, or crypto platform that you may have paid a scammer and ask what recovery or freeze options exist.
- Save the evidence. Keep messages, receipts, transaction numbers, usernames, email addresses, phone numbers, wallet addresses, bank details, and screenshots.
- Protect your accounts. If you shared passwords, codes, banking access, identity documents, or remote access to a device, change credentials and contact the relevant institution.
- Report suspected fraud. The FTC accepts reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FBI accepts internet crime complaints through IC3.gov.
- Watch for recovery scams. Losing money can make people a target a second time. Be careful with anyone who promises to recover lost funds for an upfront fee.
Different payment methods have different options.
A credit card dispute is different from a wire, gift card, cash transfer, payment app, or crypto transfer. Ask the actual provider what can still be done. Do not assume nothing can be recovered, and do not assume it can.
If your account was used to receive or forward money
Contact your bank and get independent advice quickly. The FBI warns that romance schemes can recruit people as money mules, including people who do not realize the money came from crime.