What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed Online (How to Recover)

Can You Get Your Money Back After Being Scammed? It Depends.

If you’ve fallen victim to an online scam, you may be able to get your money back by cancelling the transfer or contacting your bank or crypto exchange.

However, there are other steps you should take first to ensure you’re not still vulnerable to more scams — such as securing your online accounts, closing compromised bank accounts or credit cards, and reporting the scammers to the proper authorities and platforms.

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What To Do If You Think You’ve Been Scammed Online

Scammers are increasingly targeting Americans online. According to the latest data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC):

More than half of all scam victims in 2024 were targeted online, through emails, websites, social media, or pop-ups.

As soon as you recognize the warning signs of identity theft or receive a fraud alert, you need to act quickly.

The specific steps you’ll take will depend on whether you paid the scammer, the payment method you used, and what sensitive information the scammer has about you.

Secure any compromised or hacked accounts

Online scammers often try to gain access to your online accounts — such as your email, social media profiles, or even online banking. If you’re locked out of an account or think a scammer has access, immediately reset your password and enable two-factor authentication (2FA).

What makes a strong password? Use a password that’s at least 10 characters long and includes a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols — for example, “L0rd0Ft3R1ng$”. Make sure you use unique passwords for every account.

📚 Related: How To Quickly Identify a Scammer (Online, Phone, and Text) →

Freeze your credit and contact your bank’s fraud department

If you’ve given up personal details or financial information — such as your bank account numbers — scammers may try to open new accounts in your name.

First, call your financial institution. Use the contact information on the back of your credit or debit card and ask to speak to the fraud department. They’ll cancel your cards and freeze your accounts and issue you new, secure ones.

Then, freeze your credit reports with all three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. This will prevent scammers from opening new accounts in your name.

Here’s how to contact the credit bureaus:

Check your device for malware and other viruses

If you clicked on links in a phishing message or downloaded a file that hackers sent you, you’ll want to make sure your device isn’t infected with malware. Viruses can give hackers “backdoor access” to your device, allowing them to repeatedly hack your accounts — even after you update your passwords.

Check for and delete any strange apps you see on your computer or phone’s home screen. Then, run a deeper scan using reputable antivirus software to detect and remove any remaining viruses.

📚 Related: What To Do If Scammers Have Remote Access To Your Computer →

Collect evidence of the scam and any scammer contact details

Before breaking off contact, take screenshots of conversations and profiles, and document details such as their phone number, email address, etc.

This will help strengthen your case when you try to reverse fraudulent transactions.

Report the scam to the online platform used to contact you

Almost every online platform has a process for reporting scammers or fake profiles. For example, you can label emails as spam or report scam messages, pages, and profiles to social media or dating sites. This helps protect others from falling victim to these types of scams.

If fraudsters have your phone number, you may also want to report the scam to your cell phone provider, as you could be at risk of a SIM swap scam.

📚 Related: How To Track Down Someone Who Scammed You →

File an identity theft or fraud report with the FTC

Filing reports with the proper government agency can both help you in your recovery and help law enforcement go after the scammers. Who you contact will depend on how much information you gave the scammer:

• If you gave a scammer your Social Security Number (SSN) or other personal information: File an official report with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov or by calling the agency’s hotline at 1-877-438-4338. An FTC report is essential when disputing fraudulent charges a scammer made.
• If you didn’t give up personal information, but want to report the scam: File a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.
• If you want to try to take legal action against the scammers: File a police report with your local law enforcement and consider reaching out to your state’s Attorney General.

You may also want to set up an identity protection PIN (IP PIN) with the IRS to prevent scammers from filing taxes in your name.

Continue to monitor your accounts, identity, and finances

Identity thieves and online scammers don’t always strike right away. If you’ve given up personal information or account details, they may wait days, weeks, or even months before trying to access or use them.

Even if you haven’t sent a scammer money, you should continue to monitor your bank account statements and credit reports for signs of fraud.

You could also consider signing up for an identity and credit protection service to keep tabs on your most sensitive accounts 24/7 and warn you if anyone is trying to use them without your permission.

How To Recover Money You Sent To a Scammer

Depending on how you were scammed — and how you sent money to the scammers — you may be able to recover lost funds.

Here’s how to try to recover lost money after being scammed online:

• If you paid with a credit or debit card: Report the fraudulent charges on your card to your bank, and ask for a reversal.
• If you sent scammers gift card information: Reach out to the company for which you purchased the gift card (e.g., Walmart, Amazon, Spotify, etc.) and inform them of the scam. Keep copies of the gift card and its receipt for reference purposes.
• If you sent a wire transfer through your bank: Contact the bank or wire transfer service involved in the transaction (e.g., Western Union, Moneygram, etc.). If you act quickly enough, they may be able to reverse the transfer.
• If you used a money transfer app (Zelle, Cash App, etc.): Contact the company responsible, and report the scam through its official website. Many of these apps now have policies to protect users against scammers.
• If you sent cryptocurrency: If you used a centralized exchange (e.g., Binance, Coinbase, etc.), report the scam to the exchange and ask if they can reverse your money. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case with decentralized exchanges, as there's little to KYC (know your customer) for identifying and verifying users.
• If scammers used your banking details to make an unauthorized transfer: Report the unauthorized debit to your bank. Ask them to either block the transaction or reverse the money back to you.
• If you sent cash via the post office: Reach out to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service or whichever postal service you used.

The Bottom Line: Stay Suspicious When Online

Online scams are only getting more convincing as scammers use AI-powered tools and personal information leaked in data breaches to tailor their attacks to their victims.

While you can’t always prevent scammers from contacting you, you can follow the golden rule of staying safe online: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

For added protection, consider signing up for Aura’s all-in-one identity, credit, and device protection. Aura combines award-winning identity monitoring and data breach alerts with three-bureau credit monitoring, bank account and credit card protection, and more to keep you safe.

Plus, if the worst should happen, every Aura member has access to 24/7 U.S.-based certified support specialists and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.