First 24 Hours After a Scam: What to Do Right Now
Right after a scam, you have the least clarity and the most at stake: some payments can still be stopped for a few hours. Tell this tool how you paid or what you shared, and it lays out the steps in order, with who to call, what to say and which deadlines apply.
If money is leaving your account right now, stop reading and call your bank's fraud line. Otherwise, answer three questions for a plan in order. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
How the Plan Works
The first step is always the company that moved the money, because it is the only one that can stop, recall or reverse a payment: your bank for a wire or debit transaction, the card issuer, the payment app, the gift card company or the crypto exchange. Then come the reports: the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center for internet crime, and the FTC for fraud and scams. Both feed law enforcement, and both give you a record.
What you shared adds steps. A Social Security number adds a credit freeze, an IdentityTheft.gov recovery plan and an IRS Identity Protection PIN; a shared password or remote access adds password changes and two-step login. For people 60 and older, or anyone helping them, the plan adds the Justice Department's National Elder Fraud Hotline.
Why Speed Matters
Most recovery windows are short. When the FBI's Recovery Asset Team gets a fraudulent transfer reported quickly, it works with banks to freeze the money: in 2025 it handled 3,900 incidents with $1.16 billion at stake and froze $679 million, a 58% success rate. Its advice is to call your bank for a recall immediately, then file at ic3.gov whatever the amount.
Consumer protections have clocks too. For an unauthorized debit card or bank transfer, reporting within two business days caps your loss at $50; wait longer and it can reach $500, and after 60 days from the statement it can be unlimited. For a credit card billing error, you have 60 days from the statement that shows it to dispute in writing. Payments you approved yourself, by wire, app, gift card or crypto, have the fewest protections, so the first call matters most there.
What the Plan Leaves Out
It is a general checklist, not legal advice, and banks, card issuers and apps each have their own policies and forms. It doesn't cover business accounts, losses covered by insurance, or state-specific help such as your attorney general's office, which can also take complaints. If you are in danger, or someone is threatening you, call 911.
Once things are under control, the Scam-Readiness Checkup scores your defenses and lists the fixes that protect you most.