What to do if you've been scammed (2024)

FAQs

What to do when you realize you've been scammed? ›

If you paid a scammer via debit card:

The bank must send a provisional credit to your account within 10 days and has up to 45 days to complete the investigation. If the bank determines that a charge was fraudulent, it must refund your money and remove the charge from your account [*].

Notify the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

You should report all scams or fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), even if you were not a victim. The CAFC collects and provides information on fraud and identity theft to protect Canadians. This information may help assist law enforcement with their investigations.

Contact your IT department and let them know. Open your antivirus (AV) software if you have it, and run a full scan. Allow your antivirus software to clean up any problems it finds. You should change the passwords on any of your accounts which use the same password.

Contact your bank and tell them it was an unauthorized debit or withdrawal. Ask them to reverse the transaction and give you your money back. Did you pay with a gift card? Contact the company that issued the gift card.

You should immediately report any unauthorized transaction to your financial institution. If you took the necessary steps to protect your PIN, you should get your money back. You're not responsible for losses that result from circ*mstances beyond your control, which include: technical problems.

If you've been scammed, your bank may refund the money stolen from your account. It depends on the amount, how long it took to report the fraud, and how the money was stolen. While that may not be comforting, you do have some protections, including: The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA).

While you can take steps to recover from the impact of fraud, it's nearly impossible to track down someone who scammed you and get justice. Instead, it's almost always better to protect yourself, report the scammer, and try to recover your losses. But even better is avoiding getting scammed in the first place.

If you have fallen victim to scams or fraud, we encourage you to file a report with federal and state agencies. Also, contact law enforcement offices in your local area to report the crime.

Can I claim my money back if I have been scammed? ›

If you paid by card or PayPal

If you've paid for something you haven't received, you might be able to get your money back. Your card provider can ask the seller's bank to refund the money. This is known as the 'chargeback scheme'. If you paid by debit card, you can use chargeback however much you paid.

And never deposit a check and send money back to someone. Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone — a friend, a family member, a neighbor — what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it's a scam.

Notify the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that you have been phished. The FTC is the nation's consumer protection agency. The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection works for the consumer to prevent fraud, deception and unfair business practices in the marketplace.

Scammers get access to your bank account numbers through fraudulent telemarketer calls or by stealing them from unsecured websites when you sign up for a free trial. Once a scammer has access to your account information, they can debit your account every month with your knowledge or approval.

The power of ReportFraud.ftc.gov

Your report is shared with more than 2,800 law enforcers. We can't resolve your individual report, but we use reports to investigate and bring cases against fraud, scams, and bad business practices.