How To Track Down Someone Who Scammed You (and What To Do Next)

Can You Find the Person Who Scammed You?

The unfortunate truth is that most scammers are nearly impossible to find. Fraudsters can hide their tracks behind fake online profiles, stolen SIMs, and anonymous cryptocurrency wallets. 

Even uncovering a scammer’s true identity likely won’t bring the culprit to justice, as scammers almost always operate out of foreign countries, making prosecution nearly impossible.

Americans lost over $23 billion to identity fraud in 2023 [*]. If you’ve been conned, it’s natural to want justice. But finding the person who scammed you is not only difficult; it can be dangerous — especially if you don’t protect yourself first.

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Before You Do Anything: Secure Your Identity and Report the Scam

If you’ve been scammed, you no doubt feel angry, violated, and scared. While your gut reaction may be to take action against the scammer, you need to protect yourself and your family first.

Nearly 70% of all identity theft and fraud victims are repeat victims [*]. Before you try to take action against scammers, make sure they can’t do any more harm to you.

• Update and secure your online accounts. Change your passwords immediately, and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to prevent unauthorized access to your accounts. 
• Freeze your credit with all three credit bureaus. A credit freeze stops fraudsters from opening new accounts or taking out credit in your name. Contact the three major credit bureaus to freeze your credit: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
• Close any compromised bank and credit card accounts. Disable your accounts and cards by using your mobile banking app or calling the bank. Make sure you contact the bank directly — never use phone numbers found in texts or emails.
• Scan your devices for malware and other viruses. Online scammers may try to infect your device with malware, giving them easy access to your personal information. Consider using an antivirus scanner to identify and remove malware.
• Contact the fraud department at any impacted companies. Request that they shut down bogus accounts and begin the process of recovering your money.‍
• Report the fraud. Reporting scams helps companies, platforms, and agencies find and stop cybercriminals. Both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the FBI have online portals you can use to report scams. You should also report the scam to the platform where it took place:

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How To Track Down Someone Who Scammed You (and What To Do Next)

It’s tempting to take a vigilante approach to track down someone who scammed you. But your best chance of bringing a scammer to justice requires going through the proper channels. 

Here’s what to do:

1. Collect evidence of the fraud, and block the scammer

You can help law enforcement track down scammers by gathering details of your interactions and how the scam played out. Make sure you capture this information before you block the scammer:

• Contact details. Even fake names, accounts, and spoofed emails and phone numbers can help investigators track down scammers. 
• Conversations. Take screenshots of texts and social media messages — especially anything that may help identify the scammer. List any phone numbers they used to contact you — ideally, include supporting notes about the conversation.
• Profile photos. Scammers use fake photos to create their profiles, but these images may help you find them (and warn other people). Save their profile photos, or do a reverse image search to discover where their photos were stolen.
• Specific details about the fraudulent activities. Scammers may ask you to transfer money, deposit checks, or buy gift cards. Document a step-by-step record, including dates, dollar amounts, bank locations, etc. The more details you can give the police, the better chance they have to track down someone who scammed you.

💡 Related: Victim of Fraud? Follow This Free Recovery Checklist →

2. Don’t bother with “people finder” or phone number lookup services

Scammers are too smart to be tracked down via online phone number lookup services, email search tools, or “people finders” (like BeenVerified and Social Catfish) that share public records.

In fact, scammers sometimes pose as these services in order to identify victims and steal personal information (this is called a “recovery scam”). Don’t waste your time or money on these tools. 

What about private investigators? A PI may be able to find out more information about the scammer — but that’s the extent of what a PI can do for you. You’ll still be left dealing with your losses. 

3. Fill out an official FTC identity theft report

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can provide you with official proof of identity theft, which helps you when disputing debts or closing fraudulent accounts. 

You can file your report by visiting IdentityTheft.gov or by calling the Identity Theft Helpline at 1-877-438-4338. You’ll be asked to provide proof of your identity — such as your full name, driver’s license number, or Social Security number (SSN). 

Once your report is filed, you’ll receive an official affidavit and a personalized recovery guide. If an FTC investigation uncovers the scammer’s true identity, the FTC may contact you to help bring charges against the perpetrator. 

💡 Related: What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed Out of Money →

4. File a report with your local law enforcement 

In some cases, your local police will be able to help track down scammers — for example, if you've lost money or know anything about the scammer.

To file a police report, you’ll need:

• Your FTC report 
• Personal identification in the form of a driver’s license, Social Security card, or passport
• Specific evidence of theft — such as text messages, direct messages (DMs), emails, bank and credit card statements, or collection letters

Get a copy of your police report, and make a note of when to follow up with the officers in charge of your case.

5. Check your insurance coverage

Some insurance policies help you recover from fraud and even cover financial losses, expenses, or missed work. For example, Aura covers every adult on your plan for up to $1 million in eligible losses and expenses resulting from identity theft.

If you don't have dedicated identity theft insurance, check if you have coverage from your home insurance policy or work benefits. 

💡 Related: How Does Identity Theft Insurance Work? Do You Need It? →

6. Try to recover any lost funds

If you’ve accidentally sent a scammer money, you may be able to recover your funds. 

• Bank or credit card details. Contact the financial institution or credit card company. Instruct them to reverse any unauthorized withdrawals or charges and close your accounts.
• Cash. If you sent cash through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), ask them to intercept the package [*]. Call USPS at 877-876-2455 or request an interception through your online account. 
• Gift cards. Contact the relevant gift card company (e.g., Target, Walmart, or Amazon), and share your receipt. Unfortunately, gift cards are nearly impossible to trace. Once they’re spent, it’s very unlikely that you’ll get the money back.
• Payment apps. You can cancel a Venmo or Zelle transaction on the app; but if it's too late, contact the company's support team. 
• Wire transfers. Reach out to Wise, MoneyGram, or Western Union. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act gives consumers 30 minutes (and sometimes more) to cancel a transfer [*]. However, it will be much harder to get your money back once the payment is claimed. ‍
• Cryptocurrency. The crypto exchange probably won’t be able to get your money back, but it’s worth asking for a refund. Change the password to your account, and cancel any linked credit cards or bank accounts.

Are “Scam Recovery Services” Legitimate? 

If you post or search about being scammed online, you may encounter ads or comments from “recovery services” claiming they can get your money back. But these “service providers” are online scams. 

Imposters lure recent scam victims — but instead of helping you, they’ll take your money or steal your banking information. 

In May 2024, the United States Postal Inspection Service warned Americans about the IRS version of this refund and recovery scam [*].

Always stick to official channels for reporting and recovering from scams and identity theft.

💡 Related: Don’t Fall For These 7 Nasty Refund & Recovery Scams →

How To Protect Yourself From Scammers

After Tim Utzig lost $1,000 to a scammer, his friend — a Wired journalist — decided to investigate, eventually uncovering the identities of multiple people in an organized scam ring [*]. But even with that information, they weren’t able to get Tim’s money back. 

Ultimately, it’s better to proactively defend against fraud rather than try to track down someone who scammed you. Here are some of the best things you can do to protect yourself from identity theft and scams:

• Learn how to spot if someone is scamming you online. Scammers follow typical patterns — impersonating trusted companies or individuals and creating a sense of urgency. Stay up to date with the latest types of scams to keep yourself and your family safe. 
• Review your bank statements and credit reports regularly. Inspect your financial records at the end of each month, and look for unfamiliar charges. Every American is entitled to three free credit reports per week (one from each bureau) at AnnualCreditReport.com.
• Secure your accounts. Create unique and complex passwords for every account by combining letters, numbers, and special characters, and store them in a password manager. Make sure you also enable two-factor authentication (2FA) — especially on sensitive accounts, such as your email and bank accounts.
• Install antivirus software, and use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). These are essential cybersecurity tools for protecting your devices and personal data against malware and hackers on compromised Wi-Fi networks.
• Reduce your digital footprint. Protect your privacy with tighter settings on your social media profiles and online accounts, and remove your personal information from Google search results and data broker sites.

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. 

Aura's 24/7 monitoring features protect your bank, credit, and investment accounts. If your personal data, accounts, or identity are at risk, Aura alerts you with the industry's fastest fraud alerts and provides round-the-clock, U.S.-based support to help you deal with scams and fraud.

If disaster strikes, every adult member on your Aura plan is covered for up to $1 million in identity theft insurance — and Aura’s dedicated White Glove Fraud Remediation team is available 24/7 to guide you through the recovery process. 

Don’t let identity theft ruin your life. Try Aura free for 14 days.