Stop contact and additional payments
Do not continue paying because someone says another fee is required to release, verify, insure, tax or unlock your money.
Contact the payment provider promptly
If a bank, card issuer, payment app or exchange was involved, contact its official fraud or dispute channel. Time limits and remedies differ by payment method and jurisdiction.
Secure affected accounts
Change compromised passwords using the official website or app, enable multi-factor authentication, review account sessions and notify providers of unauthorized activity.
Preserve evidence
Keep copies of transaction IDs, account numbers, wallet addresses, receipts, emails, phone numbers, usernames, website URLs and conversation history.
Report to appropriate authorities
Use official consumer-protection, regulator and law-enforcement reporting channels available in your country. Reports may help establish a record even when immediate recovery is not possible.
Watch for secondary recovery fraud
A scammer may contact victims again while pretending to be a lawyer, investigator, regulator or recovery company. Verify identity and licensing independently before paying or sharing information.