Sent money to a scammer? What to do right now, step by step

Do these steps in the next hour

1. Call the payment company now. The bank, card company, app or wire service you used. Ask them to reverse the payment. Do this before anything else.
2. Stop paying. If they ask for more, say no. Only scammers demand gift cards, wires or crypto.
3. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general.
4. If it happened online, report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
5. If you gave out your Social Security number or a login, go to IdentityTheft.gov and freeze your credit at all three bureaus.

There is no promise the money comes back. But speed gives you the best shot, so do step one now.

Which scam was it?

Each one ends a little differently, so we split them up. Find yours.

A job that asked you to pay. Honest employers never charge you to get a job. If they mailed you a check and asked you to send part back for supplies, see the next one.

A check, and you sent some back. A fake check can take weeks to be caught. When it bounces, the bank takes the money back from you. Call your bank today. The FTC guide to fake check scams explains why the balance looked real.

A rental you never saw. A fake listing wanted a deposit by wire, gift card or crypto. Call the payment company and report it.

Someone you met online. They could not meet in person, then they needed money. The FTC rule is plain: never send money to someone you haven't met in person.

A missed jury duty fine or an IRS text. Courts reach you by mail. The IRS normally mails a letter first. A call or text demanding payment is a scam.

If someone is threatening to share your photos

This one needs its own steps, because paying makes it worse. It is called sextortion.

Don't pay. Block the person, but keep the messages, since they are evidence. Report it to the NCMEC CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org and the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. If a sexual image of you was taken before you turned 18, Take It Down at takeitdown.ncmec.org can help platforms find and remove it. Your image stays on your device. You can stay anonymous.

You already pressed send

Your stomach dropped about two seconds after you tapped the button. Now you are reading the chat again and every message looks fake.

You are not the first, and it is not because you are dumb. The story changes from scam to scam, but the ending is the same request: money, fast, in a way that can't be undone.

The good news is that the next hour matters. Make the call.

What the book gives you for next time

This is the problem The 18 Manual was written for. Iris Athens grades every move, so you know which rule is law and which is advice.

Scams and Your Identity has ten moves. It covers the credit freeze, fraud alerts, IdentityTheft.gov, job scams, overpayment checks, student loan scams, the payment methods only scammers demand, romance scams, spam texts, and what to do the day you already paid.

Legal Red Lines at 18 covers Take It Down, StopNCII.org for adults, and the sextortion steps above.

When Things Go Wrong covers what a debt collector can't do and free legal aid through LawHelp.org if the loss is large.

The book is not legal advice. For your own case, your bank, the FTC and your state attorney general are the places to ask.