Scammed? A First-Hour Checklist

The moment you realise you have been scammed is awful. Your stomach drops, your mind races, and it is tempting either to freeze or to do everything at once. This checklist is for that moment. It puts the steps in the order that protects you best, so you can work through it one line at a time.

Minutes 0 to 5: stop the contact

1. Stop replying. Do not send anything else, do not click anything else, and do not argue. A scammer who realises you have noticed will often switch to threats or a fresh story, such as a "refund" that needs one more payment.
2. If someone is still on the phone, hang up. If they are connected to your computer through remote access software, disconnect the computer from the internet by switching off Wi-Fi or unplugging the cable.
3. Do not delete the conversation yet. You will need it. Take quick screenshots now if the scammer might delete their messages or their account.

Minutes 5 to 20: stop the money

This is the step that matters most, and it depends on how you paid. Use the number on the back of your card or inside the official app, never a number the scammer gave you.

• Bank transfer: call your bank's fraud line and say clearly, "I have been scammed and I need you to try to stop or recall a payment." Ask them to contact the receiving bank.
• Card payment: ask your card issuer to block the card and tell them you want to dispute the transaction.
• Mobile money: call your provider's official line and ask them to reverse or freeze the transaction while the funds may still be in the receiving wallet.
• Payment app: report the payment inside the app and also call your bank or card issuer that funded it.
• Gift cards: contact the company that issued the card, tell them the card was used in a scam and ask whether they can freeze the balance. Keep the card and the receipt.
• Cryptocurrency: contact the exchange you sent it from straight away. Crypto payments are very hard to reverse, but an exchange may be able to act if the funds reach another account it controls.

Write down the name of each person you speak to, the time, and any reference number. Our guide on what to tell your bank after a scam has a script you can read from if you are shaken.

Minutes 20 to 40: lock your accounts

If you shared a password, a one-time code, or let someone onto your device, assume they can get in. Work in this order, from a device you trust:

1. Your email first. Change the password and turn on two-step verification. Email is where password resets go, so whoever controls it can reach everything else.
2. Banking and payment apps. Change passwords and PINs, and check for new payees, new devices or changed contact details.
3. Any account you used the same password for. Change each one to something unique.
4. Sign out of all other sessions in each account's security settings, and remove devices you do not recognise.

If you installed an app or software because the scammer asked you to, remove it, and do not use that device for banking until it has been checked. If you gave out your full identity details, such as an ID number and date of birth, note that for the identity steps at the end.

Minutes 40 to 50: save the evidence

Before anything disappears, collect what you have: screenshots of messages and profiles, the phone numbers and web addresses used, email headers if you can get them, transaction references, and receipts. Save them in one folder. Our guide to preserving evidence after a scam explains what is most useful and how to store it safely.

Minutes 50 to 60: report it

• Report to the platform where the scam happened, such as the messaging app, marketplace or social network, so the account can be removed.
• Report to your national fraud or cybercrime service. Our country-by-country list in how to report a scam covers the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the European Union, India, Ghana and more.
• If it involved work, such as a work account, a company payment or a work device, tell your IT or security team straight away.

After the first hour

The urgent part is done. Over the next few days:

• Watch your statements for small test transactions and new payees.
• Expect follow-up scams. People who have been scammed are often contacted by someone offering to recover the money for a fee, or by a fake police officer or bank. That is almost always a second scam.
• If identity details were taken, consider a credit freeze or fraud alert where your country offers one, and tell the organization that issued the document.
• Tell someone you trust. Scams are designed to catch people at busy or stressful moments. Talking it through helps, and it often warns someone else.

For the full picture, including warning signs and how each type of scam works, read our complete guide on what to do if you have been scammed and how to avoid it next time.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. What To Do if You Were Scammed, US Federal Trade Commission
2. Recovering a hacked account, UK National Cyber Security Centre
3. Report a scam, Scamwatch, Australian Government