I Just Got Scammed in the US — What Do I Do Right Now?
TL;DR: If you've just realized you were scammed in the US: call your bank or card issuer immediately if money moved, then file a report at ic3.gov (FBI) and reportfraud.ftc.gov (FTC). Do this before reading anything else — speed matters more than almost any other factor in recovery.
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You don't need a plan yet. You need the next right action, in order. Here it is.
Right now: call your bank or card issuer
If money moved — a wire transfer, a card charge, cryptocurrency, or a gift card — contact your bank, card issuer, or payment provider's fraud department immediately, not general customer service. Ask specifically about a wire recall or transaction dispute, depending on how the payment was made.
For wire transfers specifically, there's a real, narrow window where recovery is more likely — see Wire Fraud Recovery: The 72-Hour Bank Recall Window once you've made this call.
Then: report to the FBI and FTC
- FBI IC3 (ic3.gov) — this is what can activate the Recovery Asset Team's Financial Fraud Kill Chain for wire fraud specifically, and feeds every scam report into national fraud-pattern data regardless of type.
- FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov) — the Federal Trade Commission's consumer fraud database, used across agencies to track scam trends and support enforcement action.
File both, even for smaller amounts — these reports matter for the broader investigation even when they don't trigger an individual case.
Next: figure out what kind of scam this was
- Wired money → Wire Fraud Recovery
- Bought gift cards → Gift Card Scam Recovery
- Romance scam → Romance Scam Recovery
- Gave a caller remote access to your computer → Tech Support Scam Recovery
- Crypto scam → Crypto Scam Recovery
Every situation and step, in one place: the complete international recovery guide.
Then: re-secure your identity
Freeze your credit with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion if any personal information was exposed, and change your email and banking passwords first. The full checklist is in Re-Securing Your Identity After a Scam.
Watch for the follow-up scam
Once a scam is reported or shows up in your bank's fraud flags, it's common to be contacted by someone claiming they can recover your money for an upfront fee. This is almost always a second scam — no legitimate recovery process asks for payment first.
Once things are stable, it's worth checking what personal information is already out there that could have made this scam more convincing — a Scan My Shadow report checks your phone number and email against 1,500+ breach sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the very first thing I should do if I just got scammed in the US?
Contact your bank or card issuer's fraud department immediately if money moved — speed matters more than almost anything else, especially for wire transfers.
Do I need to report to both the FBI and the FTC?
Yes — file with the FBI's IC3 (ic3.gov), which can activate wire fraud recovery mechanisms, and the FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov), which tracks broader consumer fraud patterns used across agencies.
Is it worth reporting even if the amount was small?
Yes. Even reports that don't trigger an individual investigation still feed into the pattern data used to identify and eventually act against larger fraud operations.
What if I paid by credit card instead of wire or gift card?
Credit card payments generally have stronger built-in chargeback protections — contact your card issuer directly to dispute the charge as fraudulent.
Someone contacted me offering to recover my money for a fee — should I trust them?
No. This is a well-documented follow-up scam that specifically targets people who've just been defrauded. Legitimate recovery processes never require payment upfront.
Curious what's already out there about you? Scan My Shadow checks your phone number and email across 1,500+ sources and sends you a clear report — no guesswork, just facts. Start your scan.
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