What To Do If You’re Scammed Out of Money (2024)

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Scammers are tricky and can fool even the smartest people. Learn what to do to get your money back.

Scams come at us from so many directions, including emails, phone calls and texts. Sometimes they look truly legit and even the savviest person can fall victim. If you’ve been scammed out of money, here are some next steps you can take to get it back.

Take action quickly

As soon as you realize you’ve been scammed, immediately take action by contacting the third party who handled the transaction. Contacting the third party doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get your money back. However, the sooner you act the more likely it is that the situation can be remedied.

From the list below, identify who to contact and ask the third party to reverse the transaction and get your money back.

How Fraud Occurred:	Who to Contact:
Credit or debit card	Card issuer
Unauthorized bank account transfer	Your bank
Gift card purchase	The company that issued the gift card; have the gift card receipt on hand, and if possible the gift card itself
Through a wire transfer	The wire transfer company
Through a money transfer app	The company behind the app; if the account is linked to a debit or credit card contact the card issuer
You paid with cryptocurrency	The company used to send the money
You sent cash by mail	The U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455; ask them to intercept the package

Document the details

Make sure to document all details about the scam transaction so you can share it with the party that handled the transaction and the authorities.

Make notes of anyone you talked to, phone numbers, messages received, dates and times. If the scam started with a text or email, keep the message. If a fraudulent charge shows up on your credit card statement, keep a digital or paper copy.

Report the scam to the FTC

Reporting a scam helps law enforcement to build a case against scammers. If you were scammed, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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When you hold a Consumers Mastercard® debit or credit card you’re automatically eligible for Mastercard® ID Theft Protection™. Should your identity ever be stolen, you’ll get help from experts who will help your resolve the matter. Explore ID Theft Protection program details to learn how you’re protected.

If your Consumers debit card is lost or stolen

If your Consumer debit card is lost or stolen it could be used for fraud. Let us know about it right away by phone at 800.991.2221 or in-person at any Consumers office. Learn more about how Consumers replaces lost or stolen credit cards.

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Alex Russell Pham says:
May 23, 2022 at 8:31 pm
I was scammed out over $650,000 from a girl lied about her health problems
Reply
- ConsumersCU says:
  May 24, 2022 at 9:15 am
  See Also
  Cryptocurrency Scams: How to Spot Them, Report Them, and Avoid Them Common Scams | Office of the Attorney General How to Avoid Crypto Loss-Recovery Scams - Experian How to Detect Identity Theft in the Cryptocurrency Sector
  So sorry this happened to you!
  Reply
Lisa Pickren says:
July 15, 2022 at 11:38 am
My whole bank account was wiped out by these people. I just got paid today and now I have nothing no money, food, and can’t pay my bills. Can you please help me?
Reply
- ConsumersCU says:
  July 19, 2022 at 12:38 pm
  Hi Lisa, please call our member service center at 800.991.2221.
  Reply
James Maxwell says:
November 23, 2022 at 7:24 am
Can I get money back after being scammed?
Reply
- ConsumersCU says:
  November 23, 2022 at 9:45 am
  Hi James, please give us a call at 800.991.2221.
  Reply
gerald nash says:
December 13, 2022 at 6:25 pm
i was scam out of $2900 by prime video
See Also
6 Tips to Avoid Crypto Scams
Reply
- ConsumersCU says:
  December 14, 2022 at 9:13 am
  We are sorry to hear that Gerald. If you have any questions please give us a call at 800.991.2221.
  Reply
Effie says:
December 29, 2022 at 11:06 am
I followed all the described suggestions and I got nowhere. I lost about $1,000. Google cards, my credit card company, etc said “there is nothing we can do.” So sad.
Reply
- ConsumersCU says:
  December 30, 2022 at 11:56 am
  We’re sorry to hear that, Effie. If you have any questions, please give us a call at 800.991.2221.
  Reply
BEVERLY MORRIS says:
January 3, 2023 at 4:36 pm
I was involved in a scam at my bank, Bank of America. The scam involved $30,000 taken out of my savings account. I have been with this Bank for 47 years, Platinum Honors Customer for many years
The Bank states that they do not reimburse their customers because of a scam ( being that I actually was the one who physically removed the money) They only reimburse customers that were involved in fraud. I honestly don’t know the difference between the two. It was a fraudulent act for someone to call me and tell me that they were from BOA, is this fair??
Reply
- ConsumersCU says:
  January 4, 2023 at 10:02 am
  Hi Beverly, here’s an article we’ve written about phone scams: https://www.consumerscu.org/blog/fraudsters-and-fake-phone-calls. If you have any questions please give us a call at 800.991.2221.
  Reply
Lydia Singh says:
April 21, 2023 at 3:54 pm
I was scammed $1500 to pay for my winnings. Was being blackmail if didn’t pay no winnings. I still didn’t get my winnings asking for more money.
Reply
- ConsumersCU says:
  April 24, 2023 at 8:50 am
  We’re sorry to hear that, Lydia. If you have any questions, please give us a call at 800.991.2221.
  Reply
Mary C Freeland says:
June 29, 2023 at 8:47 pm
I was scammed over 200,000 dollars back in 2016 through 2020, someone pretending to be Mark Wahlberg the Actor. Sent money through money gram, western union and PayPal. Trying to get my money back. Also through bank wires
Reply
Eileen Lacombe says:
January 23, 2024 at 11:25 am
I was scammed over the phone by someone who pretended to be from the federal trade commission in September of 2023 to December of 2023 and they told me that someone was using my money for money laundering and that the only way to prove my innocence was to put all my money on gift cards and give them the card information over the phone. I have never felt so stupid in all my life because I realized too late that these were scamming me and they stole3,175 dollars from me and I don’t know if I will be able to get any of it back. I have already a complaint with the FTC and reported it to Target, EBay, my bank and the police and they didn’t give me much hope.
Reply
- ConsumersCU says:
  January 23, 2024 at 1:38 pm
  Hi Eileen, we are sorry to hear that happened to you and you are definitely not alone in having that happen. If you’d like to keep up to date with the latest in preventing fraud we have put together many articles, podcasts and even videos to help our members: https://www.consumerscu.org/topic/fraud
  Reply