I think I've been scammed. What do I do?
First: this is not your fault, and you need to move quickly. Both things are true at once.
You were not careless and you were not stupid. You were targeted by people who do this for a living; organised operations with scripts, training, call centres and AI. They test their words on thousands of people before they reach you. It was one of you against a hundred of them, and they had rehearsed.
What you do in the next hour matters more than anything else. Start here.
What happened?
I made a bank transfer
I paid by card
I sent cryptocurrency
I bought gift cards
I gave away my details
It was a romance scam
It was an investment
I'm not sure
Someone will offer to get your money back. They will be lying.
Within days, sometimes hours, you may be contacted by a 'recovery' service, a law firm or an investigator. Your details have been sold, or it is the same people again.
- No legitimate organisation contacts you out of the blue offering to recover your money.
- No legitimate service asks for a fee upfront.
- The police, your bank and government agencies never ask for payment, gift cards, cryptocurrency or remote access.
- Anyone who guarantees recovery is promising something nobody can truthfully promise.
The FBI has warned that scammers impersonate its own IC3 reporting service to contact people who have already reported.
What to do right now
- Call your bank. Use the number on the back of your card; never one from the message. Say: 'I have been the victim of a scam and I need to report a fraudulent payment.'
- Delete nothing. Messages, emails, screenshots, receipts, the profile, the phone number. All of it is evidence.
- Report it. See the list below.
- Change your passwords, from a different device if you can. Email first, then banking.
- Warn the people around you. Scammers reuse contact lists.
- Tell someone you trust. A second pair of eyes catches what comes next.
- Then stop and breathe. The urgent part is done.
Where to report and get help
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED STATES
Report Fraud
FTC
0300 123 2040 Â Â reportfraud.police.uk
Replaced Action Fraud in December 2025
877-382-4357 Â Â reportfraud.ftc.gov
Police Scotland
FBI IC3
call 101
Scotland is not covered by Report Fraud
report fast, funds are occasionally frozen
Victim Support
AARP Fraud Watch Helpline
877-908-3360
free and independent
free, any age, Mon-Fri 8am-8pm ET
Financial Ombudsman
National Elder Fraud Hotline
833-372-8311
if your bank refuses
for anyone 60 or over
ANYWHERE
Operation Shamrock
connects scam victims with volunteer investigators. Free, and they do not offer recovery services.
Give an Hour
free mental health support for survivors and families.
Share what happened
If you want to, telling us what happened helps us protect the next person. Declining changes nothing, everything above is yours either way.
Flggd does not offer fund recovery and never charges to help you after a scam. · Last reviewed 3 August 2026