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What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed
According to new data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), 6.5 million Americans reported being the victims of fraud, scams, and identity theft in 2024 alone. But this number is almost certainly underreported, as many victims feel too embarrassed to report the crime.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) estimates that only 15% of fraud victims report to law enforcement that they have been scammed.
If you are a victim of fraud, it’s important to remember that you are not alone — and you don’t have to deal with the consequences of being scammed on your own, either.
There are resources available to help you recover lost funds, secure your identity and credit, and help prevent you from being scammed again in the future.
10 Steps To Take After Being Scammed
Once you realize you’ve been scammed or see the warning signs of identity theft and fraud, the most important thing you can do is not blame yourself. Scammers manipulate, isolate, and threaten their victims — resulting in both financial and emotional damage.
Don’t let frustration or fear of being judged prevent you from taking the necessary steps to protect yourself and recover from fraud.
1. Stop paying scammers, and break off contact
It may seem obvious; but as soon as you realize you’ve been lured into a scam, you need to stop sending the fraudsters any more money and break off contact immediately.
For example, in many investment scams, fraudsters promise huge returns — but only if you first pay fees, taxes, or fines. In other cases, you may get targeted by a recovery scam in which criminals pose as private investigators or “ethical hackers” who claim they can recover your lost money.
As much as it hurts to accept, the truth is that any money you’ve sent to a scammer is gone. You may be able to recover it later, but only if you go through the proper channels.
Don’t call out the scammer until you’ve collected evidence of the scam. While you may feel the urge to lash out at the fraudsters, this gives them the opportunity to hide their tracks. It may even hinder your ability to recover lost money.
2. Collect evidence of the scam
The more information you can provide to investigators and impacted companies, the better chance you have of recovering lost funds.
Depending on how you were contacted by the scammer, you’ll want to collect:
- Screenshots of messages, contact information, and profiles. This can include social media profiles and direct messages, fake text messages, phone numbers from which you received calls, URLs for phishing websites, and even physical copies of letters, fake checks, etc.
- Documentation of fraudulent transactions and financial losses. This includes receipts, loan or credit denials, bank statements, money orders, etc. Tally up the total amount that scammers took from each account, stolen credit cards, etc.
- Recovery logs that detail whom you spoke with or emailed about the fraudulent activity on your accounts. Try to record the date, time, names, and what was said.
You’ll need all of this information to file your report, aid investigators, and seek restitution for damages. It’s also smart to retain this documentation for your records, should something else come up.
3. Notify your bank and any impacted companies
Many financial institutions set time limits on how quickly you need to report fraud in order to be refunded for any lost funds.
Start by contacting your bank, credit card company, credit unions, and any other impacted company and notify them of the fraud. Ask them to close your accounts and issue new credit and debit cards to you — as well as updated bank account numbers.
If the fraudster managed to open accounts with other companies, you’ll need to contact their fraud departments. Ask them to freeze the fraudulent accounts and send you letters or emails confirming that the accounts weren’t opened by you and that you aren’t liable for any purchases or transactions.
Pro Tip: As the victim of fraud or identity theft, you have special rights under the Federal Government’s Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). This includes disputing inaccurate information on your credit report and getting copies of any fraudulent transactions.
4. Freeze your credit with all three bureaus
If you’ve given any of your personal information to scammers, they may try to use it to open new accounts or take out loans in your name.
A credit freeze prevents anyone from accessing your credit file. This effectively stops any new credit accounts from being opened in your name. Credit freezes are free, won’t impact your credit score, and can be lifted whenever you need to access your credit files.
You’ll also get copies of your credit reports when you freeze your credit — giving you the opportunity to look for mistakes or fraudulent transactions that you can dispute.
To freeze your credit, you need to contact each of the three major credit bureaus individually:
Why not request a fraud alert? Victims of identity theft and fraud can also ask for a fraud alert to be placed on their credit files. However, this is less secure because it only suggests that lenders verify your identity before extending credit to you. A credit freeze offers much more effective protection, and requires only minimally more effort to initiate.
5. Secure your identity and online accounts
If you’ve disclosed passwords or personal information to scammers, you’ll want to make sure they can’t continue using your data.
- Update all sensitive accounts with strong and unique passwords — ideally, at least 10 characters long and comprising a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Use a secure password manager to keep track of all of your passwords and alert you about compromised accounts.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your accounts. This is an added layer of security that requires a special one-time-use code, along with your password, to access accounts.
- Monitor your sensitive personal information for misuse. Aura’s award-winning identity theft protection solution can monitor more than 130 pieces of sensitive information, including your Social Security number (SSN), credit card details, passwords, and more.
6. Report the scam to the proper authorities and agencies
It’s important that you report fraud to the proper authorities — both for your own recovery and to help prevent scammers from targeting other victims.
Here are a few of the agencies you’ll want to contact, depending on what information has been compromised or stolen.
- Report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Leaked sensitive data can lead to identity theft. File an online report with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov to get a free recovery plan and proof that you’re a victim.
- Report fraud and scams to the FTC and FBI. Provide details of the fraud to the FTC by visiting ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at IC3.gov.
- File a police report with local law enforcement if your bank requires it, or if you have information that you think could lead to an arrest of the fraudster.
- Report SSN theft to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Create an account with the SSA to review claimed earnings and warn you if someone may be using your SSN.
- Report driver’s license leaks to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). If scammers have your ID, you’ll want to contact the DMV and ask for a “Verify ID” flag on your driving record. This informs law enforcement that your identity has been compromised or stolen.
- Report tax fraud to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). If scammers used your information to file taxes in your name, fill out an Identity Theft Affidavit, print it, and mail it with your tax return. You can also request a copy of the fraudulent return, by following IRS instructions.
If you’d rather talk to someone on the phone, you can call the FTC’s fraud hotline at: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). This is a toll-free number; so even if your cell phone is lost or stolen, you can easily call from a landline.
7. Check to see if you have insurance coverage
You may have identity theft insurance that can cover some of the eligible losses and costs associated with recovering from fraud. Some plans also provide personalized help throughout the recovery process.
For example, Aura’s White Glove Fraud Resolution specialists are available 24/7 to help you recover from fraud and identity theft. They’ll work with you to navigate government agencies, banks, and creditors, and help you get your life back. Every adult member on your Aura plan is even covered by a $1,000,000 insurance policy for reimbursement of lost funds and eligible losses due to identity theft.
Aura’s not the only option for identity theft protection. You may be covered by your workplace’s insurance policy. Some homeowners insurance even covers stolen documents, cash, or credit cards.
Recovering from fraud can be time-consuming and frustrating. If you have coverage, use it.
8. Dispute fraudulent transactions, and try to recover lost funds
Fraudsters can ruin your credit score and empty your bank account. As a victim, you’re entitled to dispute any fraudulent transactions, new accounts, or changes that you didn’t authorize. Most companies have their own processes for dealing with fraud, so you’ll want to follow up with each one and provide them with your FTC and police reports.
You can also dispute incorrect information on your credit report and even stop debt collection companies from contacting you. The FTC has a good template on its website that you can use for contacting debt agencies.
When it comes to recovering lost funds, the process depends on how you paid.
For more detailed instructions, read our guide on what to do if you’ve been scammed out of money →
9. Beware of recovery scammers and other common scams
While looking for resources, you’ll most likely come across individuals and companies claiming to be able to help you recover your money, cryptocurrencies, or other losses. Be very careful here as many of these companies are scammers looking to target recent victims.
Before you engage with a company, look for these red flags of a recovery scam:
- They ask for payment upfront — not only is this a warning sign, it’s illegal
- They ask for personal information or account passwords
- They claim to have “special” access to government officials, agencies, or companies
- They tell you to keep the process a secret
- The “company” uses a Gmail or other free email service to do business
10. Look after your mental health
While there are clear steps that you can follow to resolve your financial and safety concerns after being scammed, it’s not always as easy to handle the emotional damage.
As a victim, you might feel angry and embarrassed that you were “tricked.” But the truth is that anyone can get scammed — and there’s no shame in reporting what happened to you as well as warning others.
As you work through these recovery steps, remember to check in on yourself.
- Don’t blame yourself. This will only prevent you from reporting the scam and getting the help that you need.
- Reach out to trusted family members. Don’t let fear of judgement stop you from asking for help from loved ones. They will likely want to help you and ensure that you don’t have to deal with this on your own. It can also help to have a set of fresh eyes look at the situation.
- Focus on what you can control. You can only do so much to recover from fraud and help prevent it in the future. Trying to do too much or influence things outside of your control can be incredibly frustrating.
- Set boundaries. It takes time to recover from fraud — both financially and emotionally. Be kind to yourself, and set boundaries on what you will and won’t do as you work through these recovery steps.
📚 Related: How Long Does It Take To Recover From Identity Theft? →
How To Protect Yourself Against Scammers
The unfortunate truth is that if you’ve been scammed once, there’s nearly a 50% chance that fraudsters will target you again.
Here are a few of the best ways to help protect yourself against scammers:
- Use strong passwords, and enable 2FA on your sensitive accounts
- Proactively freeze your credit with all three bureaus
- Sign up for fraud alerts and any extra security measures that your bank provides
- Don’t click on suspicious links in emails, texts, or DMs
- Ignore unexpected phone calls and messages
- Limit the amount of personal information that’s available about you online
- Protect your devices with digital security tools — such as antivirus, a virtual private network (VPN), and Safe Browsing tools
For extra protection for you and your family, consider signing up for Aura. Aura keeps your accounts safe from identity thieves and fraudsters. And if the worst happens, Aura’s U.S.-based customer service experts are here for you 24/7 to help you recover from fraud.
