If money was stolen or sent to a scammer, contact the bank, payment app, wire service, or cryptocurrency exchange that handled the transaction immediately. Ask whether it can stop, reverse, or refund the payment, and report the incident to the appropriate authorities. What may be recoverable depends on how the money was sent, whether you authorized the transaction, and how quickly you act. A report or recovery attempt does not guarantee a refund. This guide covers U.S. options; laws and procedures differ in other countries.
What to do first
- Contact the institution that handled the payment. Use a phone number or contact method you find independently through its official website, app, card, or statement. Say the payment is connected to fraud and ask whether it can be stopped, recalled, reversed, or refunded. If a bank account funded a payment app or wire, contact the bank as well as the payment provider.
- Secure affected accounts. If someone accessed an account or card, tell the institution and ask what steps are appropriate to block further transactions and secure access. Do not move money because an unexpected caller or message says it will protect your funds.
- Keep records as you act. Save confirmation numbers, transaction details, statements, messages, and the names or case numbers associated with your reports. The evidence checklist below covers what to gather.
- Report the incident. Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For internet-enabled crime, submit a report to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov. Depending on the circumstances, you can also contact local police, your state attorney general, or a relevant financial regulator.
Act promptly, but do not assume that every payment has the same cancellation process or deadline. The FTC’s “What To Do if You Were Scammed” guide recommends contacting the company or service used to send the money and asking what it can do.
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Was the transaction unauthorized, or did you send money after being deceived?
This distinction matters. A transaction you did not make may be handled differently from one you personally initiated because a scammer tricked, pressured, or misled you. Tell the institution exactly what happened; do not describe an authorized transfer as unauthorized. The procedures and any legal protections depend on the payment type and facts.
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If money disappeared from your bank account
Notify your bank or credit union promptly and ask it to investigate the specific transaction. For covered electronic fund transfers, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says the institution generally has 10 business days after notification to investigate. If it determines an error occurred, it must correct it within one business day and has three business days to report its findings. These timelines are not a guarantee that a disputed payment will be treated as an error or that every scam transfer is covered.
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For a lost or stolen debit card, CFPB guidance describes a two-business-day notification window relevant to the consumer’s maximum liability. That rule should not be applied to every fraud or scam payment. See the CFPB’s guidance on unauthorized transactions or money missing from a bank account for the specific context and protections.
If you personally sent the payment because of a scam
Call the institution or service right away and explain that you were deceived into sending money. Ask whether it can recall, reverse, or refund the transfer and what information it needs. The FTC recommends making that request for bank transfers, payment apps such as Zelle, and wire-transfer services, but the recommendation is not a promise that the provider can or must return the money.
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What to ask, based on how you paid
| Payment method | Who to contact | What to ask or do |
|---|---|---|
| Bank account, debit card, or electronic transfer | Your bank or credit union | Report an unauthorized transaction or explain that you were tricked into sending the payment. Ask it to investigate and whether it can stop, recall, reverse, or refund the transfer. |
| Payment app | The app’s provider and, if relevant, the bank or card that funded it | Report the transaction immediately and ask whether it can be reversed or refunded. Keep the transaction ID and the provider’s case number. |
| Bank wire or remittance wire | The bank or wire-transfer company that sent it | Ask immediately whether it can cancel, recall, or refund the wire. Provide the confirmation number and recipient details. |
| Cryptocurrency | The exchange used to send the funds; IC3 and the FBI for reporting | Stop sending money. Give the exchange the transaction details and report the incident. See the crypto-specific steps below. |
| Gift card, cash, or another method | The company or institution behind the payment, if there is one | Report that a scammer received the funds and ask what options remain. Some payment methods are difficult to trace or recover, but the available steps depend on the method. |
The table is a starting point, not a guarantee of the provider’s response. For each payment, the time since it was sent and the details of the transaction can affect what action is still possible.
What to do if the stolen funds were cryptocurrency
- Stop sending funds. Do not pay an additional “release,” “tax,” or recovery charge to someone who claims it will unlock or retrieve the original payment.
- Contact the exchange you used. Report the scam and provide the transaction information. An exchange may be able to review activity or freeze an account under its internal processes or in response to legal process; contacting it does not ensure funds will be returned.
- Report the crime to IC3. The FBI’s August 24, 2023 “FBI Guidance for Cryptocurrency Scam Victims” advises victims to report the incident to IC3 and contact a local FBI field office.
- Provide useful transaction and scam details. Include the cryptocurrency and amount, date and time, wallet addresses, transaction hash, exchange information, relevant websites or apps, messages, the scammer’s identifiers, and a timeline. Mention any person or service that later contacted you claiming to recover the funds.
The FBI says private recovery companies cannot issue seizure orders for cryptocurrency. Tracing a transaction, contacting an exchange, or pursuing civil litigation does not establish that a particular victim’s funds will be recovered; international transfers can further complicate law-enforcement efforts. The FBI’s IC3 cryptocurrency guidance explains relevant reporting information.
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How to report the scam and preserve evidence
Use official reporting channels that fit the incident. The FTC accepts scam reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; IC3 handles reports of internet-enabled crime at IC3.gov. Depending on the case, you may also contact local police, your state attorney general, the payment provider, a cryptocurrency exchange, or a financial regulator. The FTC’s scam-response guidance and the FBI’s common frauds and scams page describe reporting options.
A report creates a record and can support an investigation; it does not, by itself, make a provider return the money. Save copies of relevant materials before messages or accounts disappear.
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- Payment receipts, statements, transaction or confirmation numbers, recipient details, and the dates and amounts involved.
- Messages, emails, call details, usernames, phone numbers, and other identifiers used by the person who contacted you.
- For cryptocurrency, the wallet addresses, transaction hash, type and amount of currency, date and time, exchange details, websites or apps, and a timeline of events.
- Names, messages, websites, and payment demands from anyone who later offered to recover the money.
- Case numbers and records of conversations with your bank, payment provider, exchange, or law enforcement.
How to avoid losing more money to a recovery scam
Scammers may target people who have already lost money, posing as government agencies, law firms, consumer advocates, or recovery specialists. Be especially cautious of an unsolicited promise to retrieve funds in exchange for an upfront fee or for account, identity, or financial information. The FTC’s “Refund and Recovery Scams” guidance warns about these tactics. The FBI also cautions cryptocurrency victims that a supposed recovery service may be another scam and says law enforcement does not charge a fee to investigate crimes.
Verify any claimed government affiliation through a phone number or website you find independently. CFPB guidance states: “Real government agencies and financial institutions do not threaten you or ask you to send money to ‘protect it’.” A caller or message directing you to buy gift cards, use cryptocurrency, or transfer money to safeguard it is not a legitimate way to protect your funds. See the CFPB’s “Who do I contact for help with a scam or fraud?” page, last reviewed August 28, 2026.
Quick Recap
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- Re Inking Unlimitedly: the information blocker stamp can cover information of the length about 100 meters. And each security stamper roller has an oil hole, so you don't have to worry about you having to throw away the roller stamps when the ink runs out. They can be refilled with oil for repeated use, saving time and energy
- Cover Fast: our identity protection rollers come in 2 different sizes, and you can choose different sizes according to different areas of information to cover large amounts of private information in a fast and clean way, avoiding identity theft and rejecting privacy disclosure harassment
- Easy to Use: just remove the lid on the ID stamp blocker roller and open it, and then gently slide it on the place where the information needs to be covered. It is suitable for most ordinary paper with black words, and can protect your personal privacy in time
- Save Time and Energy: compared with the shredder, the personal confidential stamp has a small size, easy to carry, can be applied anytime and anywhere. Compared to the marker, it covers a larger area and can be quickly covered with a single swipe. There is no need to worry about whether you can not protect your privacy in time
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