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If You Were Scammed

Here’s what to do if you think you sent money to a scammer or gave a scammer your personal information. The quicker you act the better.

If I sent money to a scammer, what should I do? 

Scammers can be very convincing. They call, email, and text you trying to get money or personal information — like your Social Security or account numbers. And they're good at what they do.

If you paid or sent money to someone you think is a scammer, you might not get it back. But it’s always worth asking the company you used to send the money if there’s a way to get it back.

Try to cancel or reverse the transaction as soon as you can.

1.Contact whoever you used to send money, for example:

  • your credit card company or bank
  • the money transfer company (like Western Union or MoneyGram)
  • the gift card company
  • the cryptocurrency company
  • the post office

2. Tell them it was a scam

3.Ask them to give your money back

If you gave cash or gold to someone, call the police.

If I gave my personal information to a scammer, what should I do?

If you gave a scammer your Social Security number, go to IdentityTheft.gov and report it. Answer the questions on the website. When you finish, the site will give you advice about what to do next.

If you gave a scammer your username and password, log into your account right away and create a new password. If you use the same password anywhere else, change it there, too.

How do I report a scammer?

Tell the Federal Trade Commission:

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