Evidence to Keep After Financial Fraud
Good evidence helps your bank, provider and the police act. What to save after financial fraud, how to capture it safely, and how to build a simple timeline.
After fraud, it is natural to want to delete everything and move on. Before you do, save the evidence. It is what lets your bank, provider and the police trace money and connect cases.
What to keep
- Payments: transaction IDs, amounts, dates, times, recipient names, numbers and accounts.
- Messages: chats, emails and texts, with the sender's number or address visible.
- Calls: call log screenshots with numbers and times.
- Websites and apps: addresses, screenshots and app names.
- Profiles: usernames and profile links of scammers.
- Crypto: wallet addresses and transaction hashes.
How to capture it
- Take screenshots before blocking or reporting accounts.
- Export chats where the app allows.
- Download statements from your bank or provider.
- Save everything in one folder and back it up.
Write a timeline
A short list of what happened, in order, with dates and amounts, helps everyone who reads your report. See preserving scam evidence.
Do not go back to the scammer to collect more information. Save what you have and report.
Next: reporting financial fraud. For more, see what to do if money is taken.
Frequently asked questions
Should I delete the scammer's messages?
No. Screenshot and save them before blocking, as they may be needed as evidence.
What is the most important piece of evidence?
Transaction IDs with amounts, dates and recipient details, because they let banks and police trace the money.
How should I organise it?
Keep everything in one folder with a written timeline, and back it up somewhere other than your phone.
Sources
- What To Do if You Were Scammed, US Federal Trade Commission
- ReportFraud.ftc.gov, US Federal Trade Commission
- Report cybercrime online, Europol
