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
Call your bank now, on the number on your card
Not a number from the message. Ask them to attempt a recall and to freeze anything pending. Transfers can sometimes be stopped in the first hours and almost never after that. This is the one step where minutes matter.
Do not delete anything yet
The messages, emails and receipts are evidence. People often clear them out of embarrassment, and then cannot prove what happened. Screenshot everything before you change any passwords.
If you paid by card, ask specifically about a chargeback
Card payments have protections that bank transfers do not. Use the word chargeback, because it is the process that starts the clock.
Today
Tell one person you trust
Scams work by keeping you isolated, and shame does the rest. Saying it out loud to one person is usually the point where it stops.
Report it to the FTC
The federal reporting point for fraud and scams.
Report it to the FBI at IC3
Particularly worth doing for larger amounts and anything involving cryptocurrency.
You are not the only one
I clicked a fake Fair Work email and my account emailed our suppliers
“Honestly, I still feel like a total muppet over this. I was the restaurant manager of a massive buffet in Sydney CBD.…”
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.