If you already acted
Scammers are persuasive by design. Set blame aside and move quickly. Choose what happened below for practical first steps.
Choose what happened
More than one may apply. Start with money or active device access, then work through every relevant section.
Clicked or opened something
If you only opened a link, but entered nothing, downloaded nothing and installed nothing, the UK NCSC says further action is unlikely to be needed. Stay alert for unusual account activity.
Do not return through the same link, approve a prompt or call a number shown there.
If a file opened, software was installed or the device behaves strangely, run a full scan with its updated security software and let it remove what it finds.
Contact the IT or security team promptly. Early reporting helps them protect you and other people.
Password or security code shared
Use its official app, a saved bookmark or an address you already know. Change the exposed password immediately.
Start with email, banking and social accounts. Give each account a different strong password.
Sign out unfamiliar sessions, check recovery email and phone details, remove unknown forwarding rules, and turn on strong multi-factor authentication.
If you shared a one-time code or approved a login, tell the provider that the account may have been taken over.
Money sent
Recovery is not guaranteed, but speed can affect whether a provider can stop or reverse a transaction.
Tell the bank, card issuer, payment app, wire service, gift-card company or crypto platform that the payment was connected to a scam.
Ask whether the transaction can be cancelled, reversed or refunded, and whether cards, accounts or transfers should be frozen.
Save receipts, transaction IDs, account or wallet addresses, dates and the original contact. Keep the physical gift card and receipt if one was used.
Who to contact, by payment method
Use contact details you find yourself — the back of a card, an official app or a website you type in — never details supplied by the person who asked you to pay.
Credit cards often carry the strongest dispute rights, but time limits apply.
Protections can be weaker than for credit cards, so report as early as you can.
Rules differ by country. Ask what recall or reimbursement process applies to you.
If the app is linked to a card or bank account, tell that provider as well.
Transfers can be collected quickly, so call before gathering every detail.
Keep the physical card and the receipt; you may need both.
Crypto payments are usually irreversible. Keep wallet addresses and transaction IDs.
If cash was handed to someone in person, report it to the police.
Adapted from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s What To Do if You Were Scammed, rechecked on 13 October 2026. The names of these processes, and your rights, vary by country and provider.
Remote access allowed
End the remote session if you can do so safely. Do not follow uninstall or cleanup instructions from the caller.
Contact your bank and secure your email, financial and other important accounts. Review recent activity and active sessions.
Remove the remote-access tool, update security software and run a full scan. If you are unsure what changed, use a trusted technical professional before banking on it again.
Identity details shared
Note whether it included an identity document, banking details, address, tax or national identifier, phone number or account login.
Ask the document issuer, bank, phone carrier or account provider what replacement, monitoring or account-protection steps are available.
Credit alerts or freezes are available in some countries. Local consumer-protection, cybercrime or identity-theft authorities can explain the correct route.
Check statements, login alerts, new accounts and unexpected loss of phone service. A sudden SIM failure can be a sign to contact your carrier.
Preserve and report
Keep screenshots or exports when safe, usernames, email and phone details, transaction records, dates and a short timeline. Do not return to a dangerous page simply to create evidence.
Contact local police or your national fraud or cybercrime service for significant loss, threats or identity misuse. Report the account or message to the platform it used, and contact the real organisation if it was impersonated.
U.S. readers can use ReportFraud.ftc.gov and IdentityTheft.gov. UK readers can follow the reporting route linked by the NCSC.
One more warning
Someone may claim they can recover your money, trace cryptocurrency or move you to the front of a refund list—for an upfront fee or more personal information. Do not pay. Verify any offer through the organisation’s independently found official channel.
Helping someone else?
Avoid blame. Sit with them, call the official provider together and write down the next three actions. Shame delays reporting; practical support makes recovery easier.
Research basis
Sources reviewed 23 August 2026; the FTC guidance was rechecked on 13 October 2026. Stop & Verify summarises these sources for general education; legal rights and reporting routes vary.