Start with the right question
After a suspected scam, speed and accuracy both matter. Do not wait to assemble a perfect folder before contacting the relevant provider. Start a short record that can be expanded as you obtain references, responses, and information about what happened.
Work through the checks
Identify the payment route
Record whether the payment used a card, bank transfer, payment app, gift card, or another method. Keep the transaction reference, amount, currency, and recipient details privately. Different routes have different reporting processes.
Preserve the request
Save the message or page that prompted payment and the claimed identity. Record any pressure, promised return, or instruction to conceal the transaction. Do not continue engaging merely to gather more material.
Track official reports
Keep provider case numbers, dates, requested documents, and responses. Use contact details obtained independently. A person contacting you with a refund offer is not automatically connected to the provider.
Reconcile any return
Record amounts actually recovered, provisional credits, and remaining loss separately. Do not treat a promised recovery as money received or pay another person to release funds without verification.
A record you can use
- Payment method and reference
- Amount and recipient
- Message or website reference
- Provider report number
- Recovered and unresolved amounts
Keep this record locally. Use document references rather than publishing account numbers or other people's personal details. An empty field means the information is still missing; it should not be filled with an AI guess.
Worked example
A fictional customer transfers $500 after a false delivery request. The customer contacts the bank through its official app and preserves the message. A later stranger offers recovery for a $100 fee. The record treats that approach as a separate suspicious contact rather than proof the original funds have been located.
This example is fictional and illustrates the method, not a real case result.
Limits and next steps
Recovery depends on facts and payment systems. This page does not authorize contacting a suspected scammer, paying a ransom, or making a financial decision. Follow official provider guidance and seek appropriate assistance.
Use the FTC's scam-response resource to identify the relevant reporting route. Keep a consistent factual summary and update it when a provider confirms a result.