If you've been scammed: the first hour.
Speed matters far more than embarrassment. Do these in order, and write down whom you spoke to and when. If someone is still on the phone or still messaging you: hang up, stop replying, and do not send anything else — no money, no gift cards, no codes.
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Stop the money.
Call your bank or card issuer on the number printed on your card — not a number from a text or email — and say: “I have been the victim of fraud.” Ask them to freeze or reverse the transfer, stop the check, or block the card.
- Wire transfer: ask for a recall immediately; the first hours matter most.
- Gift cards: call the card company with the card and receipt in hand and ask them to freeze the balance.
- Cryptocurrency / a machine at a store: contact the exchange or the ATM operator (the number is on the machine or receipt) right away — recovery is hard, but not zero.
- Payment app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): report it inside the app and to your bank both.
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Lock the accounts.
If you gave a password, a code, or let someone onto your computer or phone:
- Change your email password first, from a different device if you can. Turn on two-factor authentication. Check the account's recovery phone and email are yours, and remove any forwarding rules you did not create.
- Then the bank, then any other account they touched.
- Call your phone carrier and add an account PIN, so nobody can move your number to another phone.
Our guide Locking down your accounts walks through each step.
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If they were on your computer, turn it off.
Leave it off until it can be checked, and do not log in to your bank from it. When you do go back, uninstall any “remote support” program they had you install (AnyDesk, TeamViewer, UltraViewer and the like), then change your passwords again from a clean device.
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Freeze your credit.
If any personal information was given — Social Security number, date of birth, account numbers — freeze your credit at all three bureaus. It is free, takes about ten minutes each, and can be lifted whenever you need it.
- Equifax — equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services · 1‑888‑298‑0045
- Experian — experian.com/freeze · 1‑888‑397‑3742
- TransUnion — transunion.com/credit-freeze · 1‑800‑916‑8800
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Report it.
- Indiana Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division — 1‑800‑382‑5516 · in.gov/attorneygeneral
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center — ic3.gov (this is where wire and cryptocurrency recoveries are actually attempted)
- Federal Trade Commission — reportfraud.ftc.gov · identitytheft.gov if identity information was taken
- Your local police — for a report number, which banks and insurers will ask for
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Tell someone.
A family member, a friend, or us. Scammers who succeed once come back — often as a “recovery service” offering to get your money back for a fee. No one legitimate charges a fee up front to recover your money.
You do not have to do this alone. Helping you take these steps in the right order is free, for anyone in Indiana, regardless of age. Write to us and choose “I think I've been scammed” — say what happened in your own words; it does not have to be tidy. If you would rather talk, include a phone number.
The AARP Fraud Watch Network helpline, 1‑877‑908‑3360, is also free and open to non-members.
Print this page and keep it by the phone. Read How to spot a scam in ten seconds so the next one never gets this far. This is our understanding as practitioners, not legal or financial advice.