Paid a scammer with a credit card (US): dispute it within 60 days

1. Stop dealing with the scammer

Do not send more money, share codes or install anything they ask for, even if they promise a refund or say you owe a fee. Save their messages and numbers first, then stop replying and block them. Time limit: Now. The FTC warns that people who have paid a scammer are often targeted again with offers to get the money back for an upfront fee. Keeping the messages gives your bank and the police the evidence they ask for.

2. Call your credit card issuer

Call the number on the back of the card. Say a scammer tricked you into paying or used the card without permission, and ask for the charge to be refunded and the card replaced. Contact: Your credit card issuer. Use the number on the back of the card; send the written dispute to the billing inquiries address. Time limit: Today. Federal law caps your liability for unauthorised credit card use at $50, and the FTC says to report it to the issuer immediately.

3. Send a written billing dispute

Write to the issuer's billing inquiries address (not the payments address) with your name, account number, the charge and why it is wrong. Keep a copy and send it with tracking. Contact: Your credit card issuer. Use the number on the back of the card; send the written dispute to the billing inquiries address. Time limit: Must arrive within 60 days after the first bill with the charge was sent; the date shown counts from the payment, so it is never later than the real limit. The Fair Credit Billing Act protects disputes that arrive within 60 days. The issuer must acknowledge within 30 days and resolve the dispute within 90 days.

4. Report it to the FTC

Report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Include how you paid, the amount and the scammer's details. Contact: Federal Trade Commission (reportfraud.ftc.gov). Time limit: Within a few days. The FTC uses reports to build cases and warn others.

5. Report it to the FBI's IC3

If the scam happened online or by phone, file a complaint at ic3.gov. Contact: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) (ic3.gov). Time limit: Within a few days. IC3 is the FBI's main intake for cyber-enabled fraud and scams.

6. If the bank or app will not help, complain to the CFPB

Submit a complaint online or call (855) 411-2372. Contact: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ((855) 411-2372, consumerfinance.gov/complaint). Time limit: If the bank refuses. A complaint puts your dispute on record with the federal regulator.

Time limits that apply

Counted from the day you paid. Where the real limit runs from a later date, such as your statement, the tool counts from the payment date, so the date it shows is never later than the real one.

Keep this evidence

Screenshots of every message, email, advert and website, including the sender's number or address. Statements or app screens showing each payment, with the date, amount and recipient. Transaction or confirmation numbers, and for crypto the wallet address and transaction ID. Gift cards and store receipts. A timeline in your own words: when contact started, what you were told and when you paid. Your FTC report number and any IC3 complaint ID, and notes of every call with your bank.

Protect yourself now

Change the password on your email first, then banking, then any account that shares a password. Remove any remote access app the scammer asked you to install and run a security scan. Turn on two-factor authentication. Warn family and friends if the scammer had access to your contacts or social media. Check your statements and free credit reports for accounts you do not recognise. Only call your bank on the number on your card or statement.

Watch out for recovery scams

Scammers buy lists of people who have already been scammed, then call, text or write offering to recover the money for an upfront fee. The FTC calls these refund and recovery scams. Government agencies and legitimate organisations will never ask for money to help you get a refund, and will not guarantee you get your money back. Anyone who asks for an upfront fee, your account numbers, or payment by gift card, crypto, wire or payment app to recover a loss is a scammer.

Guides and definitions

• How to file a CFPB complaint, what happens next and does it work (Guide)
• Zelle scams: how they work, what they look like and how to spot them (Guide)
• Regulation E (Regulation E is the US federal rule that limits your liability for unauthorized debit card and electronic transfers to $50 or $500 if you report them in time.)

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If you paid another way

• Bank transfer or wire (US)
• Debit card (US)
• Zelle, Venmo, Cash App or PayPal (US)
• Cryptocurrency (US)
• Gift cards (US)
• Cash, check or other (US)
• Gave bank details, passwords or a one-time code (US)

The same in the UK · All scam recovery guides · Get your own plan with real dates

Common questions