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RECOVERY

I was scammed by someone I met online — what do I do now?

This is not your fault. Romance scammers are professionals who spend weeks or months building trust before asking for money. What you felt was real — the person you thought you were talking to was not. Here is what to do 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.

Step 1 — Stop all contact with the scammer

Do this now: Block the person on every platform — messaging apps, social media, email, and phone. Do not respond to any further messages, even if they apologise, threaten you, or claim to be in danger. Any further contact is likely an attempt to extract more money or information.

This step is difficult. You may still have feelings for the person you thought you were talking to, and cutting contact can feel like a loss. That is a normal response. The person you communicated with was a constructed persona — the real person behind the screen was running a script designed to create exactly those feelings.

Step 2 — Contact your bank or payment provider

Do this now: Call your bank and tell them you have been the victim of a romance scam. Ask them to attempt to recall any recent payments. Even if recovery is not possible, your bank needs to know so they can flag your account and prevent further unauthorised activity. See the contact bank page for full steps.

If you sent cryptocurrency, contact your exchange immediately — see the crypto scam recovery page. If you sent gift cards, call the issuer — see the gift card recovery page.

Step 3 — Preserve all evidence before blocking

Do this now: Before you block the scammer, screenshot and save all messages, photos they sent, their profile information, and any payment details. This evidence is needed for your bank's investigation and for reporting to the authorities.

Step 4 — Report it

Report the scammer to the platform where you met them, and to the authorities. Romance scam reports help law enforcement identify patterns and warn others.

Also report the profile to the platform where you met the scammer — dating apps, social media platforms, and messaging apps all have reporting mechanisms for fraud and fake profiles.

Step 5 — You do not have to go through this alone

Romance scams cause significant emotional harm alongside financial loss. Feelings of shame, grief, and embarrassment are common — and they are a normal response to a traumatic experience, not a reflection of your intelligence or character.

Important: Consider speaking to someone you trust — a friend, family member, or counsellor. In the US, the AARP Fraud Watch Network helpline (877-908-3360) offers free support to scam victims. In the UK, Victim Support (victimsupport.org.uk) provides free, confidential help. In Australia, IDCARE (idcare.org) supports victims of identity and financial crime.

You've taken the right steps: You have stopped contact, contacted your bank, preserved the evidence, and reported the scam. This is not your fault. Romance scammers are professionals who do this full time.

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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.