RECOVERY
Can I get my money back after being scammed?
It depends on how you paid and how quickly you act. Some payment types offer a real chance of recovery — others rarely do. Here is an honest guide to what is possible and what to do right now.
In an active crisis?
- Call your bank
- Call the platform (Amazon, PayPal, MobilePay, etc.)
- Call local police
Important — watch out for a second scam: Be very careful of anyone who contacts you promising to get your money back — especially for an upfront fee. No legitimate company or government agency guarantees recovery of scammed funds. Recovery-scam operators specifically target people who have just been scammed. Paying them is a second scam. Never pay a fee to recover money, and never give your details to an unsolicited "fund recovery" service.
The honest answer: it depends on how you paid
You may not be able to recover the money — but here are the steps that give you the best chance. The most important thing you can do right now is act quickly. Every hour matters.
Do this now — regardless of payment type: Call your bank or payment provider immediately and tell them you have been scammed. Ask them to attempt to stop or recall the payment. Then report the scam to the authorities in your country.
Recovery chances by payment type
Bank transfer or wire transfer
Speed is everything. Call your bank immediately and ask them to recall the payment. If the money has not yet been processed at the receiving bank, a recall may be possible. Once the funds are in the scammer's account and withdrawn, recovery becomes very unlikely. See the wire transfer recovery page for full steps.
Credit card
Credit cards offer the strongest consumer protection. Contact your card issuer and file a chargeback. In the US, the Fair Credit Billing Act gives you the right to dispute fraudulent charges. In the UK, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act may apply for purchases over £100. Act promptly — chargeback time limits apply.
Debit card
Contact your bank immediately and request a chargeback. Debit card protections are weaker than credit card protections in most countries, but many banks will investigate and may reimburse you, particularly if you report quickly.
Gift cards
Recovery is possible but unlikely once the card balance has been used. Call the gift card issuer immediately with the card number and PIN. If the balance has not yet been redeemed, they may be able to freeze it. See the gift card recovery page for full steps.
Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency transactions are typically irreversible once confirmed on the blockchain. Recovery is very unlikely. However, report to your exchange and to the authorities — this creates a record and may help if the scammer uses the same wallet again. See the crypto scam recovery page for full steps.
Payment apps (PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, MobilePay)
Contact the app's support team immediately and report the transaction as fraud. Recovery depends on the platform's policies and whether you sent the payment as "goods and services" (which has buyer protection on some platforms) or as a personal transfer (which typically does not).
Cash
Cash payments cannot be recovered. Report the loss to the police for documentation purposes — this may be needed for insurance claims or future legal proceedings.
Important: Even if recovery is not possible, reporting the scam matters. Your report helps authorities track patterns, warn others, and in some cases build cases against scam operations. It also creates an official record that may support insurance claims.
Report it to the authorities
- US: reportfraud.ftc.gov (FTC) or ic3.gov (FBI)
- UK: actionfraud.police.uk
- Australia: scamwatch.gov.au
- Canada: antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
- Denmark: politi.dk (anmeld) and report to your bank via NemID/MitID netbank
- Europe: your national consumer protection authority or local police
You've taken the right steps: You have contacted your bank, reported to the authorities, and taken the steps that give you the best possible chance. Whatever the outcome, this is not your fault.
Related situations
- Should I tell my bank I've been scammed?
- I sent a wire transfer to a scammer
- I paid a scammer with gift cards
- I sent cryptocurrency to a scammer
- I was scammed in a romance scam
- I was scammed on a marketplace
- Back to: After scam help
This page was last reviewed: June 27, 2026.
Recovery pages are drafted with AI assistance, then reviewed line-by-line by the editor, sourced against official reporting authorities, and tested for tone and clarity before publication.