Just Got Scammed? What to Do in the First 48 Hours

If money has just gone, stop reading and call your bank. The number is on the back of your card. Everything else on this page can wait an hour. That call cannot.

Whether you get money back in the United States comes down to two things: how fast you report it, and how you paid. A credit card gives you 60 days and strong legal rights. A debit card gives you two business days for the best protection. A wire transfer or payment app may give you only hours, and only if the money has not moved on. The table below shows where you stand, and the steps after it are in the order that gives you the best chance.

The deadlines, in one table

Step 1: Call your bank or card company now

If your banking app has a lock or freeze card switch, turn it on now, while you wait on hold. Then call using the number printed on your card or in the bank's official app, never a number from the scammer or a search result. Say clearly what happened, when, and how much. Then ask three questions:

• Can this payment be stopped or recalled?
• Can you freeze the card or account?
• Are you opening a fraud claim, and what is the reference number?

Write down the reference number, the date and the name of the person you spoke to. You will need all three if the claim stalls.

Follow up in writing

After the call, send the same details in writing through your bank's secure message in its app or website, not ordinary email, so you have a dated record. Copy the message below, replace the red highlighted parts, and keep only the paragraph that matches what happened.

For a credit card dispute, also send a written billing error notice to the address your card company lists for billing disputes, within 60 days of the statement. The FTC's what to do if you were scammed page links to sample letters.

Step 2: File with the FBI at IC3, especially for a wire

This is the step most people skip, and it is the one with a mechanism behind it that most people do not know exists.

When you file at ic3.gov, the FBI's Recovery Asset Team can start what it calls the Financial Fraud Kill Chain. It sends the details to the bank that received your money and asks it to freeze the account before the funds move on.

It works more often than people expect. In 2025, the team handled 3,900 incidents and froze about $679 million, a 58% success rate, according to the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report. The report describes a couple buying a home who wired more than $449,000 after an email faked their attorneys. Their attorneys could not get through to the receiving bank, but once an IC3 complaint was filed, the full amount was found still sitting in the account and was frozen.

It only works while the money is still there, which is why this belongs in the first hours, not next week.

Step 3: Know what your payment method gives you

Credit card: the strongest position

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you can dispute a charge that was unauthorized, or for something you never received. Send a written billing error notice within 60 days of the statement that shows the charge. The card company must acknowledge it within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles, and no more than 90 days. You do not have to pay the disputed amount, or interest on it, while it is investigated. Most card companies also have zero liability policies that go further than the law.

Debit card: the deadline people miss

Unauthorized debit card and bank transfers fall under a federal rule called Regulation E, and the timing is strict:

1. Within 2 business days of learning about it: your loss is capped at $50.
2. After 2 business days, within 60 days of the statement: your loss can rise to $500.
3. More than 60 days after the statement: you may be responsible for later unauthorized transfers in full.

The two day window runs from when you learn about the problem, not from when the money left. Once you report, the bank generally has 10 business days to investigate, or up to 45 days if it gives you provisional credit in the meantime. If it decides there was no error, it must tell you in writing and let you see the documents it relied on.

One honest caution: these limits are for unauthorized transfers. If a scammer talked you into making the payment yourself, the bank may treat it as authorized. Report it anyway, and say plainly that you were deceived.

Authorized or unauthorized: why the bank may say no

Describe what happened in plain words and in this order. The details decide which rules apply, so do not let anyone summarise it for you as a "purchase dispute."

Zelle, Venmo and Cash App: the difficult category

These apps move money like cash between strangers. If you were tricked into sending the payment yourself, it is usually treated as authorized, which weakens your position.

Report it anyway, and use the word fraud, not "bad purchase." Banks on the Zelle network began refunding some imposter scams in late 2023, where the scammer pretended to be a bank, a government agency or Zelle itself. A federal lawsuit that pushed for wider refunds was dropped by the CFPB in March 2025, so results depend on your bank. Ask directly whether your case qualifies.

Wire transfers

There is no legal chargeback for wires. Recovery depends on speed and on the receiving bank freezing the funds, which is exactly what the IC3 step above is for. If you used Western Union or MoneyGram, call them straight away, say you were tricked, and ask for the transfer to be stopped.

Gift cards

It is worth trying even when it feels hopeless. Call the company that issued the card, not the store, and say a scammer took the card number and PIN. Some issuers can freeze an unspent balance. Keep the physical card and the receipt. The FTC's guide on what to do if you were scammed links to contact numbers for the major gift card companies.

Crypto and crypto ATMs

Contact the exchange or the ATM operator immediately, using the number on your receipt, say the transaction was fraudulent, and ask for it to be reversed. Recovery is rare, but some states have crypto ATM laws that may help, and a fast report gives investigators the best chance of tracing the wallet.

Cash sent by mail

If you mailed cash through the US Postal Service, call the Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455 right away. For a fee, it may be able to stop a domestic package that has not been delivered yet. For FedEx or UPS, call them as soon as possible.

Step 4: Save the evidence before it disappears

Do this early, because scam profiles, listings and messages are often deleted within hours.

• Screenshots of every message, listing, profile and payment screen
• Phone numbers, email addresses and website addresses used
• Transaction dates, times, amounts and confirmation numbers
• The name the caller gave and the company they claimed to be from
• Receipts, invoices, order confirmations and gift card receipts

Keep it all in one folder. Every organisation you contact will ask for the same information.

Step 5: Report it in the right places

1. FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Refund programmes only reach people who reported, and the FTC returned $337.3 million to consumers in 2024.
2. FBI IC3 at ic3.gov, as in step 2.
3. CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint if your bank turns down a claim you believe is valid. It often gets a stalled case moving.
4. The platform where it happened, so the account or listing comes down.
5. Local police, for a report number. Some banks ask for one.

If you or a family member is 60 or older, the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311 is free and staffed by people who will walk you through these filings.

Step 6: Protect what else they might reach

If you shared personal details as well as money:

• Start a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov, which builds a personalised checklist.
• Freeze your credit with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It is free and does not affect your score.
• Change your email password first, then banking. Email is the reset route for everything else.
• Check for email forwarding rules you did not create, a common way scammers hide bank alerts.
• Remove any remote access app a caller asked you to install, and change passwords from a different device.

Expect the second scam

After a loss, victims are often contacted again by someone offering to get the money back. The FBI has warned about fake law firms targeting scam victims, which took more than $9.9 million in one year. Watch for these signs:

• They contact you first, often through social media or a messaging app, and already know about your loss.
• They claim to work with the FBI, the CFPB or another agency, sometimes with an official-looking website or letter.
• They ask for a fee up front, or for "back taxes," a "release fee" or a "network fee" before your money can be sent.
• They ask for your bank details "to verify" you, which they then use to take more.

If the bank says no

A refusal is not the end.

1. Ask for the decision in writing, with the reason.
2. Request the documents the bank relied on. For debit card and bank transfer claims, Regulation E gives you that right.
3. Escalate to the CFPB. Banks must respond, and many claims are reopened.
4. Contact your state attorney general's consumer protection office.

If the scam started with a card you never opened, see our guide on how to report credit card fraud.

You are not the only one

Do not spend the first hour being angry at yourself. These are organised operations running scripts refined on thousands of people. The FBI received 1,008,597 complaints in 2025, with reported losses of nearly $20.9 billion, and people aged 60 and over reported losing $7.7 billion. Speed helps. Self-blame does not, and it is the main reason people delay the call that would have made a difference.

Before you call back any number connected to this, you can check it against complaint records for free.

Frequently asked questions

How we researched this article

This guide is based on the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report, including Recovery Asset Team results and the $449,000 case it describes, the IC3's Financial Fraud Kill Chain guidance, the FTC's advice on what to do if you were scammed and its 2024 refunds report, the federal Fair Credit Billing Act and Regulation E rules on card and transfer disputes as explained by the CFPB, reporting on Zelle's imposter scam refunds from November 2023, the CFPB's March 2025 decision to drop its Zelle lawsuit, and the FBI's June 2024 warning about fake law firms targeting scam victims. This is general information, not legal or financial advice, and your bank's policies may differ. The Scam Exposed is an independent educational platform. We are not a government agency, law enforcement body, or legal advisors. Last reviewed October 25, 2026 by Nitesh Kumar Gupta, Founder and Editor.