What to Do If You Paid a Scammer Online

 If you paid a scammer online, act quickly. The faster you contact your bank or payment provider, the better your chance of limiting further loss.

Do not send the scammer more money—even if they promise a refund.

1. Stop All Contact With the Scammer

Do not:

• Send another payment
• Share another verification code
• Click more links
• Install software
• Give remote access to your device

Block the scammer after saving useful evidence.

2. Save Evidence Before Anything Disappears

Keep copies of:

• Payment receipts
• Transaction IDs
• Emails and messages
• Phone numbers or usernames
• Website addresses
• Screenshots
• Order confirmations

These may help when reporting the fraud or disputing a payment.

3. Contact the Payment Provider Immediately

Tell them clearly that the payment was connected to a scam.

If you paid by credit or debit card, contact the card issuer.

If you used a bank transfer, contact your bank.

If you used a payment app, report the transaction through the provider's official support channel.

Ask whether the transaction can be stopped, reversed, disputed, or investigated.

The FTC also recommends contacting the company or bank you used to send the money and asking whether the fraudulent transaction can be reversed.

If the payment happened on an unfamiliar shopping website, review our guide on how to spot a fake online store before buying.

4. Gift Card or Cryptocurrency Payment?

If you paid with a gift card, contact the company that issued the card immediately and keep the card and receipt.

Cryptocurrency transactions can be especially difficult to reverse. Contact the service or exchange you used and report the fraud as quickly as possible.

Be suspicious of anyone promising guaranteed crypto recovery for a fee.

5. Secure Your Accounts

If the scammer also received your:

• Password
• Verification code
• Card information
• Banking login
• Personal information

secure the affected accounts immediately.

Change compromised passwords from a trusted device and enable multi-factor authentication where available.

If you also shared a password or verification code with the scammer, follow our emergency account-security guide.

6. Check for More Unauthorized Activity

Review your:

• Bank transactions
• Card activity
• Email account
• Important online accounts

Watch for unfamiliar payments, password resets, new devices, or account changes.

Report suspicious financial activity promptly.

7. Beware of “Recovery” Scammers

After losing money, you may be contacted by someone claiming:

“I can recover your money.”

They may pretend to be investigators, lawyers, hackers, government officials, or recovery specialists.

If they demand an upfront fee, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or sensitive information, do not pay them.

A second scam can make the original loss even worse.

The FTC also warns that scammers may target previous victims with fake refund or recovery offers that ask for upfront payment.

Quick Emergency Checklist

If you paid a scammer:

• Stop communicating
• Save evidence
• Contact your bank/payment provider
• Report the transaction as fraud
• Secure compromised accounts
• Check for unauthorized activity
• Ignore paid “recovery” offers

Final Thoughts

If you paid a scammer online, speed matters.

Stop further payments, preserve evidence, contact the payment provider, and secure your accounts.

Most importantly, do not let embarrassment or a promise of getting your money back persuade you to send more money.

Guide note: Whether a payment can be reversed depends on the payment method, provider, timing, and circumstances. Always contact the relevant bank or payment provider through its official channel for current options.