If you sent money to someone you now suspect is a scammer, the first step is to preserve the records. A clear timeline, payment confirmation, account details, and messages can help you explain what happened to your bank, payment provider, exchange, or the appropriate reporting authority.
1. Stop sending money and preserve the evidence
Do not pay additional “release,” “tax,” “verification,” or “recovery” fees just because someone says the money can be returned. Save chats, emails, phone numbers, usernames, website addresses, receipts, screenshots, and the dates and times of important events. Keep original files where possible and avoid editing screenshots in ways that remove context.
2. Identify the payment method
The records available depend on how the money was sent. For a bank transfer, keep the transfer confirmation, beneficiary details, reference number, and any bank communications. For a card or payment app, save the transaction record and the recipient account or profile. For cryptocurrency, record the asset, network, sending and receiving wallet addresses, transaction hash, and exchange withdrawal details if applicable.
3. Build a simple timeline
Write down when the first contact happened, what the person promised, when you paid, what happened after payment, and when you became concerned. Separate what you personally observed from what the other person claimed. A timeline makes it easier to compare messages with payment records and identify missing information.
4. Understand what tracing can and cannot show
Blockchain transactions may be publicly visible, so a transaction hash can help follow movements between addresses. That does not automatically identify the person controlling an address or prove that funds can be returned. Bank and payment-platform records may require action by the provider or relevant authorities. No tracing service can guarantee recovery, compel a third party to freeze funds, or reverse a completed blockchain transaction by itself.
5. Report the incident promptly
Contact the bank, exchange, or payment provider through its official website or app as soon as possible. Report suspected crime to the appropriate local authority. If the incident involved crypto, you can also review our guide to responding to a crypto scam and learn about evidence-led crypto investigation and transaction review.
6. Protect yourself from a second scam
Never share wallet seed phrases, private keys, passwords, one-time authentication codes, or remote-access access with a person promising recovery. Be cautious of unsolicited messages claiming funds have already been found or that an advance payment is required to unlock them.
If you need to organize the facts of an incident, you can submit a report for review. Submitting a report does not guarantee an investigation or recovery; it helps document the information you provide.
