How to get your money back after a scam

Key takeaways

Contact the company you paid through first, before anything else. Minutes and hours matter more than getting the story perfect.
Credit cards give the strongest protection. Bank transfers, payment apps, wires, gift cards, crypto, and cash are hard or impossible to reverse.
Say the words: this was fraud, and I want the transaction reversed or disputed.
Report to the FTC and, for online crime, to the FBI's IC3. A report supports your dispute and any later claim.
Anyone who offers to recover your money for an upfront fee is running a second scam.

First, the order of operations

Stop all contact with the scammer. Do not warn them, argue, or send "one last payment to release the funds".
Contact the company you paid through. Use the number on your card, your statement, or the official app. Say: "This was fraud. I want this transaction stopped, reversed, or disputed."
Write down what happened while it is fresh: dates, amounts, names, numbers, usernames, wallet addresses, and screenshots. Do not delete the messages.
Report it to the FTC and, if it happened online, to the FBI's IC3. See how to report a scam.
Secure what else was exposed: passwords, codes, Social Security number, device access. See lock down your accounts.

Do step 2 before everything else. A payment that has not settled can sometimes be stopped. One that has left cannot.

What to expect, at a glance

How you paid	Chance of recovery	Who to contact first
Credit card	Good	Card issuer: dispute the charge
Debit card	Fair, if fast	Your bank: dispute the charge
Unauthorized bank transfer	Good, if reported promptly	Your bank
Bank transfer or Zelle you sent yourself	Low, but ask	Your bank
Venmo, Cash App, PayPal	Low to fair	The app, then the linked bank or card
Wire transfer	Low, time critical	Your bank's wire department, then IC3
Gift card	Low, time critical	The card's issuer
Cryptocurrency	Very low	The exchange you sent from, then IC3
Cash or mailed package	Very low	USPS Inspection Service or the courier
Check	Fair before it clears	Your bank: stop payment

Credit card

This is the best case. Federal law lets you dispute charges for goods and services you did not receive or did not authorize, and your liability for unauthorized use is capped at $50. Most issuers waive even that.

Call the number on the back of the card, then follow up in writing or through the online dispute form.
For billing errors, the dispute must reach the issuer within 60 days of the statement that showed the charge.
Ask for a new card number if the scammer has the old one.

Debit card and bank account

Federal rules treat two situations very differently.

Unauthorized: someone else moved the money, for example after stealing your login. You are generally protected, and how much depends on speed. Report within 2 business days and your liability is limited to $50. After that it can rise to $500. If you wait more than 60 days after the statement was sent, you may get nothing back.

Authorized but tricked: you made the payment yourself because someone lied to you. Banks often say the rules on unauthorized transfers do not apply. Do not accept the first no:

Ask for the fraud department, not general customer service.
Ask them to contact the receiving bank to freeze and recall the funds.
Ask whether the payment network has a reimbursement policy for impostor scams.
Put the claim in writing and keep the reference number.
If you are refused and believe it is wrong, file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Banks must respond.

Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, and other payment apps

These move money like cash. Report the payment in the app immediately and ask for a reversal, then call the bank or card that funded it and dispute it there as well. If the app payment was funded by a credit card, the card dispute may succeed where the app says no. See payment app scams.

Wire transfer

Call your bank's wire or fraud department at once and ask for a wire recall. Then file a report at IC3.gov the same day and include the receiving bank details. The FBI works with banks to freeze some fraudulent wires, and the chance falls sharply after the first day or two. For wire services such as Western Union or MoneyGram, call their fraud line and ask for the transfer to be stopped if it has not been collected.

Gift cards

Contact the company that issued the card straight away (the brand on the card, not the shop). Say the card was used in a scam and ask whether the balance can be frozen or refunded. Keep the card and the receipt. Success is uncommon, because balances are drained within minutes, but it happens when people call quickly. See gift card scams.

Cryptocurrency

Crypto payments are effectively irreversible. Still:

Report the transaction to the exchange or app you sent from, and ask whether the receiving address can be flagged.
File at IC3.gov with the wallet addresses and transaction IDs.
If the scam involved a fake trading platform, stop "topping up" to unlock withdrawals. That is the scam continuing.

Cash, checks, and packages

Cash sent by U.S. mail: call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455 and ask them to intercept the package. For other couriers, call them with the tracking number.
A check you wrote: ask your bank for a stop payment if it has not cleared.
A check you deposited for someone: tell your bank immediately. If it bounces, the bank will take the money back from you, so do not send anyone "the difference".

While you wait

Expect follow-up scams. Your details are now on a list. Calls from "investigators", "the bank's security team", or "recovery agents" are common. See recovery scams.
Keep a simple log of who you spoke to, when, and what they said.
Losses may be relevant to your taxes in limited cases. Ask a qualified tax professional. Do not rely on anyone who contacted you first.
Tell someone you trust. This happens to careful people every day, and it is easier to get through the calls with company.

Common questions

Can I get my money back if I was scammed?

Sometimes. It depends mostly on the payment method and on speed. Credit card payments can usually be disputed. Debit card and bank payments you did not authorize are protected by federal law. Payments you made yourself because someone lied to you are much harder, but banks and apps do sometimes reverse or reimburse them, so always ask.

Will my bank refund me if I sent money to a scammer?

If a criminal got into your account and sent the money, federal rules on unauthorized transfers generally protect you if you report promptly. If you sent the money yourself because you were tricked, the law gives the bank more room to refuse. Ask anyway, ask in writing, and ask whether the payment network has a scam reimbursement policy.

How long do I have to report fraud to my bank?

Report immediately. For unauthorized debit or bank transfers, your liability under federal rules rises the longer you wait: reporting within 2 business days limits it most, and waiting more than 60 days after your statement can leave you with no protection. For credit card billing errors, write to the issuer within 60 days of the statement.

Can a lawyer or recovery service get my money back?

Be very careful. Government agencies never charge to help, and no one can guarantee recovery. People who contact you offering to get scam losses back for a fee, a tax, or a percentage paid first are almost always scammers themselves.

Official sources and further reading

Published September 21, 2026, last updated September 21, 2026. This guide is general education for people in the United States. It is not legal or financial advice, and it cannot tell you whether a particular message or person is genuine. Spot an error? Tell us.

How to get your money back after a scam, by payment method