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Contact the bank, payment app, card issuer, or transfer service you used—immediately. Tell it the payment may be fraud and ask it to stop, recall, reverse, or attempt to recover the money. Use a phone number or contact route you verify independently, not one supplied by the suspected fraudster. Recovery is not guaranteed, but quick reporting can matter.
Then secure any exposed accounts, save evidence, and report the incident through the official channel for your location. The right recovery process depends on how you paid, whether you approved the transaction, and the rules where you live.
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What to do first
- Contact the sending provider. Call the number on your bank card or statement, or open the provider’s official website or app directly. Say clearly that you suspect fraud. Ask whether it can stop, recall, reverse, or attempt recovery of the payment, and ask what protection steps it recommends. If you sent a UK bank transfer, give the bank the receiving account number if you have it.
- Secure accounts that may be exposed. Tell the provider immediately if the other person may have your account access. If you disclosed a password, change it to a new, strong one and update it anywhere else you reused it. Follow the provider’s advice about additional account protection.
- Save the evidence. Keep the transaction receipt or reference, date, amount, and recipient details. Save messages, emails, phone numbers, web addresses, social profiles, and screenshots, and note what made you suspect fraud.
- Report the incident. Use the official fraud-reporting route for your country or region. Reporting remains worthwhile even if the provider cannot recover the money.
- Reject paid recovery offers. Do not pay an advance fee or share personal information, passwords, or financial credentials with someone claiming they can get your money back. Find an institution’s contact details independently and call it directly.
Can the payment be stopped or recovered?
Ask the provider promptly, but do not assume a payment can be reversed. The available process and outcome depend on the payment method, timing, whether you authorized the transaction, local rules, and the facts of the case. The FTC advises people who wired money to a scammer to contact the bank or wire-transfer company and ask it to reverse the transfer; its guidance does not guarantee recovery (FTC: What To Know Before You Wire Money).
| How you paid | What to ask or do | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Bank wire | Contact the sending bank immediately, report the suspected fraud, and ask it to reverse or recover the transfer. | Recovery is not assured; contact the bank as soon as possible. |
| Wire-transfer company | Contact the company immediately, report the fraud, and ask it to reverse the transfer. | The company’s ability to act depends on the transfer and its status. |
| Payment app | Report the transaction to the app provider and ask whether it can be reversed. | If the app was linked to a debit or credit card, notify that bank or card issuer as well. |
| UK bank transfer | Tell the bank immediately and provide the destination account number if known. | The bank will try to recover the funds; reimbursement depends on the circumstances and protections that apply. |
| Payment you did not authorize | Tell the bank specifically that you did not make or approve the transaction, and ask how to report it. | Do not describe a payment you approved after being deceived as unauthorized without clarifying what happened; different protections may apply. |
For U.S. consumers, some unauthorized electronic fund transfers have protections and investigation procedures described by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Those rules should not be conflated with a transfer the customer approved after being deceived (CFPB: unauthorized transactions and missing money).
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UK protection for some bank transfers
For eligible UK APP fraud—when someone is tricked into sending a payment—mandatory reimbursement protections cover eligible Faster Payments and CHAPS transfers made on or after 7 October 2024. The Payment Systems Regulator says the protections cover individuals, microenterprises, and charities. Report the payment to your bank promptly and follow its claim process; the scheme does not apply automatically to every payment type or case (Payment Systems Regulator: APP fraud reimbursement protections).
If you are unhappy with your UK bank’s response, you can make a formal complaint and may be able to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The UK government’s guidance explains the bank contact and complaint route (Stop! Think Fraud: What to do if you’ve lost money).
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Where to report the fraud
United States
Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The CFPB also identifies the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov, your state attorney general, and local police or sheriff as possible reporting or assistance routes (FTC: Phone Scams; CFPB: unauthorized transactions and missing money).
England and Wales
UK government guidance directs people who lost money or were hacked through online fraud to report it to Report Fraud (GOV.UK: Avoid and report internet scams and phishing).
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Scotland and other locations
In Scotland, report money lost to an online scam or fraud to Police Scotland. Elsewhere, use the official fraud-reporting and law-enforcement channels for your country; U.S. and UK procedures do not establish the rules in other jurisdictions (GOV.UK: Avoid and report internet scams and phishing).
What information to keep for a report
Organize the details before contacting a reporting service, but do not delay telling your provider about the payment while you gather them.
- Payment method, transaction date and amount, receipt or reference, and recipient account or payment details.
- Who contacted you: any name, phone number, email address, website, or social profile.
- Supporting material such as emails, texts, and screenshots.
- What prompted your suspicion and any steps you have already taken with the bank, app, or transfer company.
UK reporting guidance asks for contact details, supporting material, payment method, and what triggered suspicion (Stop! Think Fraud: What you’ll need to share with Report Fraud).
How to avoid losing more money
People who have already lost money may be targeted by recovery scams. Treat unsolicited claims that someone can retrieve your funds with caution—especially if they ask for an upfront payment, personal information, or financial credentials. Verify the organization through a contact route you find independently, not through the caller or message making the offer (FTC: Refund and Recovery Scams).
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