Scammed Online? What to Do in the First 24 Hours

You've just realized. The seller has gone quiet, the investment site won't let you withdraw, the "bank" that called wasn't your bank, or the payment you sent went to someone you didn't think it would. It's normal to feel sick, a bit embarrassed and desperate to know whether anything can still be done. It can, and quite a lot, especially in the first few hours.

Here's what to do if you get scammed online, in the order that helps most: what to do in the first hour, how to save the evidence, who to tell, how to report it and what comes next depending on how you paid. And if it hasn't happened yet and you just have a bad feeling, we'll also show you how to know if you're being scammed before you send anything.

In this article

1. The first hour: what matters most
2. Lock down your cards, accounts and logins
3. Save the evidence: screenshots, receipts and links
4. Tell the platform and your bank
5. Report it
6. Is a scam a crime?
7. Next steps depending on how you paid
8. How to know if you're being scammed
9. Imagine this happens to you
10. Watch out for the second scam
11. When to get help

The first hour: what matters most

If you only have time for a few things, make it these. They don't need to be perfect, they just need to happen soon:

1. Cut off contact. Don't reply, don't pick up their calls and don't make any extra payment, even if they say it's to "unlock" or "return" your money. Trying to take a second payment is extremely common.
2. Call your bank on a number you look up yourself. In the UK you can dial 159, which connects you safely to many major banks. Say clearly that you've been scammed and ask them to block what's needed and try to stop or recall the payment.
3. Change any passwords you may have given away, starting with your email and your bank, from a device you trust.
4. Take screenshots of the chat, the listing or website, the scammer's profile and your payment receipt before anything gets deleted.
5. Write down what you remember: times, amounts, names, phone numbers, and the account or address you sent money to.

Once that's done, you've taken the step that counts most. The rest you can do a little more calmly over the day.

Lock down your cards, accounts and logins

If you gave out your card details, your login or a code that was texted to you, ask your bank to block the card and online banking and check whether any new device, payee or card in a mobile wallet has been added. If you installed an app they told you to, remove it and tell your bank, because it may have given them access to your messages or screen.

Check your other accounts too. If you reuse a password, change it everywhere and switch on two-step verification for your email, WhatsApp and social media. The UK's NCSC has a clear walkthrough on recovering a hacked account. If they took over your WhatsApp or a social account, warn your contacts through another channel so nobody pays in your name.

If you shared your Social Security number or other ID details in the US, go to IdentityTheft.gov, which gives you a personal recovery plan.

Save the evidence: screenshots, receipts and links

Evidence is what turns your story into a case that a bank, the police or a court can act on. Even if you feel like deleting everything right now, keep it:

• Full screenshots of the conversations, showing the scammer's number or profile, the date and the time.
• The receipt for every payment: bank transfer, Zelle, card charge, wire or, if it was crypto, the destination address and the transaction ID (the hash).
• The website address or listing link, plus a screenshot of how it looked.
• The emails and texts you received, left on your phone.
• A short written account of how it started and what happened next, in order. You remember it clearly today; a month from now, less so.

It doesn't have to be tidy. One folder on your phone or computer with everything in it is already a huge help.

Tell the platform and your bank

Your bank is the key player, so keep a record of every conversation: the time of the call, who you spoke to and any reference number. Then follow up in writing, explaining which payments you don't recognize or how you were tricked.

One distinction matters a lot:

• If someone made payments you didn't authorize, for example with your card or your login, the law is firmly on your side. In the US, the CFPB explains that if you report a lost or stolen debit card within two business days, you can't be held responsible for more than $50, and you should flag unauthorized withdrawals within 60 days of your statement. In the UK, the FCA says your bank should refund unauthorized payments, and you should tell it within 13 months.
• If you made the payment yourself because you were tricked, there's still a path. In the UK, the Payment Systems Regulator's rules mean banks must reimburse most of these scams sent by Faster Payments or CHAPS, up to £85,000. In the US, the FTC recommends contacting the bank, payment app, wire service or gift card company straight away and asking them to reverse the payment. It isn't automatic, but asking fast is exactly what gives it a chance.

If you bought through a marketplace, a rental site or a resale app, report it there as well through its official channel. Sometimes they can freeze the payment or the seller's account, and either way you've left a record.

If the bank says no, you can escalate: to the Financial Ombudsman Service in the UK, or with a complaint to the CFPB in the US. We go through the rules in more detail in bank fraud refunds: will my bank give my money back?.

Report it

Reporting can feel pointless, but it unlocks almost everything else. Banks often ask for it, platforms are more willing to help when there's a report, and it's how investigators connect your case with others.

• In the US, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and, if money was lost online, to the FBI's IC3. If it's a large amount or someone threatened you, contact your local police too.
• In the UK, report it to Report Fraud, the national service run by the City of London Police (in Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101).

Keep your reference number and attach your screenshots and written account. If you want to prepare it properly, we explain how step by step in how to report a scam.

Is a scam a crime?

Almost certainly yes, even if the scammer made you feel it was "your fault for trusting them". In the UK, the Fraud Act 2006 makes it a criminal offence to make a false representation to gain money or cause someone a loss. In the US, using the internet, phone or email to trick someone out of money can be federal wire fraud, on top of state laws on theft and fraud.

And fraud vs scam? In everyday life they mean almost the same thing. "Scam" is the informal word, and "fraud" is the legal and banking term. Your bank will usually log it as fraud. You don't need to get the label right to report it: just explain clearly what happened.

Next steps depending on how you paid

What happens next depends a lot on how the money left. Here's the essential for each case, and every option in more detail in how to get money back after being scammed:

• Bank transfer. A completed transfer can't be undone with a button, but your bank can ask the receiving bank to return it, and if the money is still there it can be frozen. In the UK, most of these scams are now covered by mandatory reimbursement.
• Zelle, Venmo, Cash App or PayPal. Report it to your bank or the app immediately and ask them to reverse it. These payments move fast, and that's frustrating, but acting fast is what keeps options open. We cover this in Cash App and Zelle scams: getting your money back.
• Card. If someone used it without permission, it's an unauthorized transaction and you're well protected. If you paid for something that never arrived, ask for a chargeback, which is when your bank claims the money back from the merchant through Visa or Mastercard.
• Wire transfer or gift cards. Call the wire company or the gift card issuer straight away, tell them it was a scam and keep the receipt and the card.
• Crypto. Tell the exchange you sent from, save the addresses and transaction IDs and report it quickly. Crypto leaves a trail on the blockchain, and if it lands at an exchange that verifies its customers, a freeze can be requested. See can stolen crypto be recovered?.
• Your identity was stolen. On top of the above, watch for new accounts or loans in your name. We explain what to do in identity theft: what to do.

How to know if you're being scammed

If you haven't paid yet, or you're about to and something feels off, trust that feeling. Almost every online scam shares a few signs, whatever the story:

• They rush you. "Today only", "within the hour", "or your account will be locked". The urgency is there so you don't stop to think.
• They want a payment that's hard to undo: a transfer to a new account, Zelle to a stranger, a wire, crypto or gift cards.
• They ask for passwords or codes sent to your phone. Nobody legitimate needs them, not your bank and not the police.
• They promise high, guaranteed returns, or a prize, a job or a rental that's too good to be true.
• A message comes from someone you know but asks for something odd, like voting in a contest through a link or lending money to a "new number".

If any of this sounds familiar, pause. Check through another channel, by calling the person or company on the number you already have, and don't pay until you're sure. Asking someone you trust costs nothing and can save you a lot of grief.

Imagine this happens to you

Imagine that on a Thursday afternoon you buy a used phone from a private seller who asks you to pay by Zelle "to hold it". You send $350, they promise to ship it the next day, and by evening they've stopped replying and their profile has vanished.

In a case like that, the most useful thing would be to call your bank that same evening on its official number, explain it's a scam and ask them to try to reverse the payment. Then screenshot the listing, the chat and the receipt, report it to the FTC and IC3 the next day with all of that, and follow up with the bank in writing. It's only an example, but it shows what helps most: moving early and keeping your evidence in order.

Watch out for the second scam

After a scam, it's very common to be contacted again. Sometimes they pose as the police, your bank or a company that "recovers scammed money", and ask for an upfront fee, "taxes" or a "release charge" to get it all back. We understand wanting to fix it right away, but anyone who guarantees 100% recovery in exchange for paying first is usually the second scam. Before you pay anyone, read how to spot crypto and fund recovery scams.

When to get help

If your bank refunds you within a day or two, great: keep your paperwork and follow through on your report. It's worth having a professional look at it when the amount is significant, when the bank refuses or doesn't reply, when you're told you were careless, when crypto is involved, or when you sent the payment yourself and need to move fast to try to freeze the money in the receiving account.

We are lawyers and expert investigators specialising in online scams, cryptocurrency and cybercrime, and every case is handled by a lawyer or an expert investigator. We'll go through what happened with you, where the money went and what to ask your bank, the platform or the authorities for, so your claim carries weight. In many cases the money is recovered, especially if you act fast. At Kironic we do everything we can to recover your money: send us your case as soon as you have the basics and we'll look at it together.