Recovery Guides
Action-oriented playbooks for after a scam. Start with the first 10 minutes, then work through reporting, securing accounts, and protecting yourself from recovery scams.
What To Do in the First 10 Minutes After a Scam
The fastest actions matter most. Stop, secure your money, and preserve evidence immediately.
What To Do in the First 24 Hours After a Scam
After the immediate steps, lock down accounts, report fully, and protect against follow-on fraud.
How To Contact Your Bank After a Scam
Reach your bank safely, report the fraud clearly, and ask the right questions to protect your money.
How To Preserve Scam Evidence
Good evidence helps your bank, the police, and platforms act — capture it before anything disappears.
How To Report a Scam
Where and how to report scams to banks, national fraud services, platforms, and regulators.
How To Avoid Recovery Scammers
After a scam you may be targeted again by fake 'recovery' agents. Learn how to spot and avoid them.
Crypto Scam Recovery Warning
Crypto transfers are usually irreversible, and 'crypto recovery experts' are typically a second scam.
Romance Scam Recovery Steps
Practical and emotional recovery after a romance scam — without shame, and safe from recovery scammers.
Job Scam Recovery Steps
Recover after a task, recruiter, or fake-job scam — protect your money, data, and from mule liability.
Identity Theft After a Scam
If you shared ID or personal data, act to prevent and limit identity theft.
What To Do After a Remote-Access Tech-Support Scam
Steps to clean up and secure your device, accounts, and finances after a scammer gained remote access under the pretence of providing technical support.
Chargeback & Card Dispute Guide
How card chargebacks and disputes work, when they apply, and how to give yourself the best chance.
Recover Money Sent by Zelle After a Scam
Zelle transfers move instantly and are hard to reverse — but there are steps worth taking immediately.
Recover Money Sent by Cash App After a Scam
Cash App payments are instant and often non-refundable — but there are steps that can help.
Recover Money Sent by Wire Transfer After a Scam
Wire transfers move fast and are rarely reversed — but your bank can attempt an urgent recall if you act immediately.
What To Do After Paying a Scammer With Gift Cards
Gift card payments are almost impossible to reverse — but reporting quickly may limit further losses.
What To Do After a Data Breach
If your data was exposed in a breach, act to limit identity theft, secure your accounts, and monitor for misuse.
Recover a Hacked Email Account
Regain access to your compromised email and prevent the attacker using it to take over other accounts.
Recover a Hacked Social Media Account
Regain control of a compromised social account and protect your identity, contacts, and linked services.
SIM Swap Attack Recovery
If your phone number was hijacked, act immediately to restore it and secure every account that used SMS 2FA.
Business Email Compromise Response
If a fraudulent email redirected a payment or impersonated your business, act quickly to contain the fraud and protect your reputation.
What To Do If You Clicked a Phishing Link
Clicking a phishing link does not always mean your accounts are compromised — but act quickly to limit any damage.
Recover After an Investment Scam
Steps to take after losing money to a fraudulent investment scheme — report, contain, and protect yourself from follow-on targeting.
What To Do If You Shared Your Card Details
If you gave your card number, expiry, or CVV to a scammer, act fast to block the card and monitor for fraudulent charges.
What To Do If You Shared a One-Time Code
Sharing an SMS or authenticator code can give fraudsters access to your account. Act immediately to secure it.
Recover After a Fake Toll or Delivery Text Scam
Fake toll notices and parcel delivery texts are a common phishing method. Here's what to do if you were caught out.
How To Report Online Shopping Fraud
If you paid for goods online that never arrived, were fake, or came from a fraudulent seller, here's how to report and seek a refund.
Secure Your Phone After a Scam
If a scam involved your phone — whether you installed an app, gave remote access, or shared codes — here's how to clean up and secure it.
What To Do If Someone Has Your Bank Details
If a scammer has your account number, sort code, or banking login details, act quickly to limit exposure and protect your account.
How To Support an Elderly Scam Victim
How to help an older person who has been scammed — practically, emotionally, and safely.
How To Recover After a Crypto Scam
Practical steps after losing cryptocurrency to a scam, from securing remaining assets to realistic expectations about fund recovery.
What To Do After a PayPal Scam
Practical steps to recover money, secure your account, and report after being scammed through or impersonating PayPal.
Recovering After a Gift-Card Scam — Including Help for Seniors
Steps to take after you or a relative was tricked into buying gift cards to pay a scammer, including how to support an older person through the process.
Recovering After a Romance-Investment (Pig-Butchering) Scam
Steps to take after losing money to a pig-butchering scam — where a relationship was cultivated online before directing you to a fraudulent investment platform.
What To Do After a Rental-Deposit Scam
Steps to recover your deposit and protect yourself after paying rent or a deposit for a property that the advertiser did not own or that did not exist.
What To Do After Identity Theft or a Stolen Personal Data Incident
Comprehensive steps to protect yourself and limit damage after your personal data — name, address, NI/SSN, or documents — has been stolen or misused.
What To Do After a Fake-Invoice or BEC Payment (Small Business)
Steps for a small business to take immediately after paying a fraudulent invoice or a business email compromise that redirected a legitimate payment.
What To Do If a Phishing Site Captured Your Card Details
Immediate steps to protect your card, reverse any fraudulent charges, and secure your accounts after entering payment details on a phishing website.
Recover After a Cryptocurrency Wire to a Fake Exchange
Steps to take immediately after sending cryptocurrency or a bank wire to a fraudulent exchange or investment platform.
Recover After a Western Union or MoneyGram Transfer to a Scammer
Immediate steps to take if you have sent money via Western Union or MoneyGram to a fraudster, including how to attempt a recall and report the fraud.
Recover After a Deepfake CEO Authorised Payment (Business)
Steps a business should take immediately after an employee authorises a fraudulent payment following a deepfake video call or voice impersonation of a senior executive.
Recover After a Stolen Phone Account Takeover
What to do immediately after your phone is stolen and a thief uses it to take over your email, banking, or social media accounts.
Recover After a Fake Marketplace Purchase
What to do after paying for goods on an online marketplace that turned out to be fraudulent, counterfeit, or that were never delivered.
Recover After a Charity Donation Scam
What to do if you discover that a charity appeal you donated to was fraudulent or that your donation was misappropriated.
Recover After a Loan-Fee Scam
Steps to take after paying an upfront fee to a fraudulent loan company that promised a loan but disappeared or demanded further payments.
Recover After a Subscription Trap or Unwanted Recurring Charge
How to identify, cancel, and seek refunds for subscription traps and unwanted recurring charges from services you did not knowingly sign up for.
Sextortion Recovery: What to Do When Someone Threatens to Share Your Images
Someone threatening to publish your intimate images is committing a crime against you — here is how to stop the threat, preserve evidence, and get help.
Recover Money Sent by Venmo After a Scam
Venmo payments between users settle almost instantly and personal payments carry no purchase protection, so speed and the right dispute route matter most.
Recover Money Sent by Apple Pay or Apple Cash After a Scam
What you can do after paying a scammer with Apple Pay or Apple Cash, and why which of the two you used changes every option available to you.