Get help
Who to contact, and in what order
Most people can work out roughly what to do. What is hard, straight after it happens, is knowing what to do first. Some of these steps have a time limit.
Step 1 · Where are you?
Step 2 · What happened?
- I sent money to someoneA transfer, a card payment, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.
- Someone got into one of my accountsEmail, social media, banking, or anything else you log in to.
- Someone is using my identityAccounts opened in your name, or your documents were taken or leaked.
- Someone is threatening to share private imagesSextortion, or images shared without your consent.
- Someone I met online is asking for moneyA partner, an investment tip, or a friend you have never met in person.
- I clicked a link or installed somethingYou are not sure whether any harm was done.
- I am not sure what happenedSomething feels wrong but you cannot name it yet.
Your next steps
In the next hour
Do not send anything yet, even if you have promised
There is always a reason it has to be today. Nothing genuine collapses because you waited a day to check, and the pressure is doing a job.
Search their photos with a reverse image search
Save a picture and upload it to Google Images or TinEye. If the same face turns up on other profiles under other names, you have your answer in about a minute. A photo that finds nothing proves nothing, though.
Ask for a live video call, right now, and watch what happens
Not a recording, not later. Months of excuses about a broken camera is itself the answer. Someone real will simply say yes.
Today
Tell one person outside the relationship
This is the hardest step and the one that ends it most often. Choose someone who will not shame you. Being deceived by a professional is not stupidity, and it happens to careful people constantly.
If you have already sent money, treat it as urgent
Call your bank now and ask about a recall. Our plan for that is one click away.
Report it to Action Fraud
Worth doing even if you have not sent anything yet.
This week
If you need someone to talk to, call Samaritans
Any time, any day.
You are not the only one
My retired uncle sent 1.5 million shillings to a woman who did not exist
“My uncle just retired from customs and this still hurts to think about because he’s not even someone who uses the…”
These organizations are independent of us. We list them because they are the right people to speak to, not because we are connected to them. If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number first.
The full directory
Everything we know about, including international options.
Report a crime
Police and government agencies by country.
Identity and accounts
Help with stolen identity and compromised accounts.
Still stuck?
Send us a message and a person will read it. We cannot recover money or investigate, but we can point you at the right place.