What to Tell Your Bank or Mobile Money Provider After a Scam
What to say when you call your bank or mobile money provider after a scam, the details to have ready, the questions to ask, and how to follow up in writing.
Calling your bank after a scam can feel harder than it should. You are shaken, you may feel embarrassed, and the hold music does not help. But this call is the single most useful thing you can do to protect your money, and a clear, calm call gets better results. Here is what to have ready and exactly what to say.
Call from the number on your card or in the official app. If a "bank" called you first, hang up and call back yourself. Scammers often pose as the fraud team in a second call.
Before you dial: have these ready
You do not need everything, but the more you have, the faster they can act. Jot it down on paper so you are not searching while on hold.
- The payments involved: date, time, amount and the reference for each.
- Where the money went: the account name and number, wallet number, card or payee shown in your app.
- How it happened, in one or two sentences.
- What you shared: passwords, PINs, one-time codes, card numbers, or whether you let someone onto your device.
- Something to write with, for names, times and reference numbers.
A script you can read from
Adapt this to your situation. Saying "scam" or "fraud" early usually gets you to the right team faster.
- It states the problem, the payment and what you want in the first minute.
- Admitting what you shared lets them lock down exactly what is at risk.
Questions to ask before you hang up
- "Can you contact the receiving bank or provider to try to freeze the funds?"
- "Is my account now secure? Have any payees, devices or contact details been changed?"
- "Do I need a new card, a new PIN or new online banking details?"
- "What is my case or reference number?"
- "What happens next, and when will I hear from you?"
- "Is there a deadline for disputing this payment?"
Card, transfer or mobile money: what to ask for
Card payments
Ask to block the card and to dispute the transaction. Card schemes have dispute and chargeback processes, and many countries give extra protection for card payments you did not authorise. Do it quickly, because there are time limits.
Bank transfers
Ask the bank to request a recall from the receiving bank straight away. Rules differ by country. In the United Kingdom, for example, since October 2024 banks and payment firms must reimburse most victims of authorised push payment scams made by Faster Payments or CHAPS, with some exceptions. Elsewhere, ask what protections apply.
Mobile money
Call your provider's official line and ask them to reverse the transaction or freeze the receiving wallet while the money may still be there. Give the recipient number and the transaction ID from your confirmation message. Speed matters even more here, because funds can be withdrawn as cash within minutes.
After the call: follow up in writing
Send a short written message through the bank's secure messaging or official email, repeating the key facts and your reference number. It creates a record and helps if you need to complain later.
Keep your evidence together; our guide on preserving scam evidence explains what to save.
If the answer is no
Ask for the decision and the reasons in writing, and ask how to make a formal complaint. Most countries have an independent ombudsman or financial regulator that handles complaints about banks and payment providers once the bank's own process is finished. Our guide on whether you can get money back after a scam explains what affects the outcome.
Also report it officially. A reference number from your national fraud service can support your claim. See our country-by-country reporting guide.
If you are still in the first hour, work through our first-hour checklist, and read our complete guide on what to do if you have been scammed for the full process.
Frequently asked questions
Which number should I call?
Use the number on the back of your card, on your statement, or inside the bank's official app. Never use a number from a text, email or caller, even if it looks official.
Will the bank blame me for being scammed?
A good bank will not. Fraud teams speak to scam victims every day. Be honest about what happened, including anything you shared, because it helps them act quickly and correctly.
What if the bank says the payment was authorised by me?
Ask whether it can still try to recall the funds from the receiving bank, ask what protections or reimbursement rules apply, and ask for the decision in writing so you can complain or escalate.
The bank called me about fraud. Is that real?
Possibly, but criminals copy this exact call. Hang up and call back on the number on your card, ideally from a different phone. A real bank will never ask you to move money to a 'safe account'.
Sources
- What To Do if You Were Scammed, US Federal Trade Commission
- Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges, US Federal Trade Commission
- APP scams, UK Payment Systems Regulator
