What to do right now

Whatever the scammer is currently asking for, stop. Do not send another payment. Do not send more documents. Do not respond to threats or pressure.

Scammers count on momentum. The second you stop, you take back control. They may follow up with urgent messages, threats, or new promises. Ignore them. Block the number. Block the email.

If they have your phone number, expect more calls and texts for several weeks. They will use different numbers. Block each one as it comes in.

The next steps depend on what information or money was actually taken. Write down (or screenshot in a private note) everything you shared with them, including:

• Money sent (and how: wire, Zelle, Venmo, check, gift cards, crypto)
• Banking information (account number, routing number)
• Personal information (Social Security Number, date of birth, address)
• Government documents (passport, driver's license, work authorization)
• Logins or passwords
• Direct deposit information for paychecks
• Tax forms or W-9 / W-4 information

This list determines which of the next steps apply to you. If multiple items apply, do them in the order listed below.

Call your bank or payment service immediately. Speed matters more than anything else for this step. Some transfers can be stopped or reversed within hours but not after days.

• Wire transfer or ACH: Call your bank's fraud department. Ask them to recall the transfer and freeze any further outgoing transfers from your account.
• Zelle: Contact your bank (not Zelle directly). Zelle transfers are usually final but some banks have started offering limited fraud reimbursement for scams.
• Venmo, Cash App, PayPal: Open the app, find the transaction, report it as fraud. Then call the support line.
• Credit card: Call the number on the back of your card. Dispute the charge immediately. Credit cards have the strongest consumer fraud protections.
• Debit card: Same thing. Call your bank. Debit cards have weaker protections than credit, so move fast.
• Gift cards: Call the gift card issuer (the company on the card, not the store you bought it from). Some companies can freeze the balance if you call within hours.
• Cryptocurrency: Crypto transactions are usually not reversible. Report to the exchange you bought from. File with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov). There is no minimum loss amount.
• Check sent in the mail (or fake check received in the mail): Call your bank and request a stop payment immediately. If a fake check is involved, also file a report with the US Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov/report or 1-877-876-2455. Many banks require a USPIS report to investigate fake check fraud.

If physical mail was involved in any way (fake check, mailed documents, mailed equipment, mailed contracts), file a separate mail fraud report with the US Postal Inspection Service: uspis.gov/report or 1-877-876-2455.

Place a fraud alert with the credit bureaus right now. This is free and takes 5 minutes. You only need to contact one bureau. They share the alert with the other two.

• Equifax: 1-800-685-1111 or equifax.com
• Experian: 1-888-397-3742 or experian.com
• TransUnion: 1-800-916-8800 or transunion.com

A fraud alert is free and lasts one year. It requires creditors to verify your identity before opening new accounts in your name. You can extend it or switch to a stronger credit freeze later.

If you want stronger protection right away, place a credit freeze with each bureau separately. A freeze prevents new credit accounts from being opened in your name. It is free, lasts indefinitely, and you can lift it temporarily when you need to apply for credit yourself.

Pull your free credit reports at annualcreditreport.com (the only federally authorized free credit report site). Check for accounts you do not recognize.

Report SSN misuse to the Social Security Administration. If you believe your SSN was given to a scammer or is being misused, file a report with the SSA Office of Inspector General:

• Online: oig.ssa.gov/report
• Phone: 1-800-269-0271 (10 AM to 2 PM ET, Monday through Friday)

If accounts have already been opened in your name, go to the next step.

Fewer than 1 in 100 people who get defrauded ever file with a state or federal agency. One study of mass-market fraud found that under 3 percent complained to any government entity, and under 1 percent to a state Attorney General or federal agency (Anderson, 2021). Separate AARP research found the same gap from a different direction: 78 percent of people who experienced fraud did not report it to local law enforcement or the FBI, and 89 percent did not report it to the FTC (AARP). Filing puts you in a very small group, and it is the group that makes enforcement possible. Your report is not paperwork. It is the only way this pattern becomes visible to anyone who can act on it.

The Federal Trade Commission has two reporting websites. Use one or both depending on your situation.

• For identity theft (if the scammer used or is likely to use your personal information): IdentityTheft.gov. The site walks you through a personalized recovery plan, generates pre-written letters to creditors, and creates an official FTC Identity Theft Report you can use as legal proof when disputing fraudulent accounts.
• For scam reporting (general fraud, even if no identity theft happened): ReportFraud.ftc.gov
• Phone option: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) if you prefer to speak with someone.

Your State Attorney General's consumer protection office. Most state AG offices accept fraud complaints, sometimes mediate with banks and businesses on your behalf, and pursue civil enforcement against scam operators. With federal consumer protection enforcement slowing, state AGs are often the fastest route to actual recovery on a complaint.

• Find your state's AG office at naag.org/find-my-ag/ (National Association of Attorneys General).
• Most state AGs have an online complaint portal and a consumer protection phone line.

Filing with both the FTC and your state AG matters. The FTC aggregates data and pursues large-scale enforcement. Your state AG can sometimes act on individual cases. Neither will get your money back directly, but both create records that help in other recovery efforts.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center accepts reports of internet-enabled fraud. There is no minimum loss amount, and the FBI asks people to file even when they are unsure whether their case qualifies.

• File at ic3.gov. The form takes 15-30 minutes.
• Have ready: dates of contact, payment amounts and methods, communication records (emails, texts, screenshots), the scammer's claimed identity, and any account or wallet information they provided.

The FBI does not respond to individual reports, but it does aggregate them for investigations. Reports involving large losses or organized fraud rings sometimes lead to actual recovery for the victims.

Change those passwords now. Then change the password on any other account that uses the same or similar password.

• Start with email accounts (especially the one the scammer contacted you on). If they get into your email, they can reset passwords everywhere else.
• Banking and financial accounts second.
• Social media and professional accounts (LinkedIn especially) third.
• Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) on all accounts that support it. Use an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password) rather than SMS where possible.

If you cannot log in because the scammer changed your password, use the platform's "compromised account" recovery flow:

• Gmail: accounts.google.com/signin/recovery
• Outlook / Microsoft: account.live.com/acsr
• LinkedIn: Use the "Forgot password" flow then contact LinkedIn support if locked out
• Apple ID: iforgot.apple.com

This is one of the more serious losses because government documents enable longer-term identity fraud. Take these steps:

• Driver's license: Contact your state DMV. Report it as compromised. You may need to apply for a replacement with a new license number.
• Passport: Report it lost or stolen at travel.state.gov. Once reported, the passport cannot be used by anyone, including you. Apply for a replacement when you are ready.
• Social Security Number: File the IdentityTheft.gov report (Step 5). You usually cannot change your SSN, but you can monitor for misuse and file the FTC report as legal proof if accounts are opened in your name.
• Work authorization documents (EAD card, I-94, etc.): If you are on a visa, talk to an immigration attorney within 7 days. The American Immigration Lawyers Association at ailalawyer.com can help you find one.
• Tax documents (W-2, W-9): File IRS Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit). Available at irs.gov.

Save every record you have of the scam in one place. You will need this for the next several months. Make a folder (digital or physical) with:

• Every email, text, or message from the scammer
• Screenshots of any websites or profiles they used
• Receipts or statements for money sent
• Records of every call you made to your bank, the FTC, the FBI, or other agencies
• Names of people you spoke with and confirmation numbers
• Copies of every report you file

This documentation matters if you need to dispute fraudulent accounts with creditors, work with investigators, or pursue any kind of civil recovery later. It also helps you keep track of what you have done so you do not duplicate work.

People who have been scammed often feel embarrassed and isolated. Both of those reactions make recovery harder.

You do not have to tell everyone. Tell one person you trust. A partner, a parent, a close friend. Saying it out loud helps. It also gives you someone to check in with as you work through the steps above.

If you do not know how to start, you do not have to explain the whole thing. One sentence is enough:

"Something went wrong with a job I was applying for and I got scammed. I'm working through it. I could use someone to talk to."

You can fill in the details later, or never.

You were targeted by people who do this full time, with practice, against thousands of people at once. That is what happened here.

Shame is the most common reaction to this and the least useful one. It is also what the operation counts on, because people who feel ashamed do not report, do not tell anyone, and do not get help. Fewer than 5 in 100 people who experience this kind of fraud report it to a Better Business Bureau or any government agency (Anderson, 2021). You do not have to stop feeling it in order to start on the steps above. You just have to start.