If It Already Happened: The First Hour

What to do right away if you already paid a scammer, and the official United States reporting routes.

If you already sent money or shared information with a scammer, you are not alone, and it is not too late to act. Speed matters. Here is what to do in the first hour.

Call your bank or card issuer immediately, using the number on the back of your card, and tell them exactly what happened. Ask them to reverse the payment or freeze the card. If you used a payment app, report it inside that app right away too. If you shared your Social Security number, go to IdentityTheft.gov for a personal recovery plan.

After you contact your bank, report the scam so investigators can act on it. In the United States, two official places to report fraud are the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. For older adults who lost a significant amount, the Department of Justice runs the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311 for extra help and support.

These routes are for people in the United States. If you live elsewhere, your own country has its own fraud reporting agency.

Rule to remember: in the first hour, call your bank, then report the scam to reportfraud.ftc.gov, ic3.gov, or, for older adults, the National Elder Fraud Hotline.

This course is educational and is not legal or financial advice.