Last verified by our editorial team: April 2026
If you sent money, shared personal information, or signed something to a job scammer, here is exactly what to do, in priority order. The first 60 minutes matter — banks can sometimes reverse transactions, credit freezes can be placed quickly, and evidence preservation is critical.
Stop sending money immediately, document everything, contact your bank for chargebacks, freeze your credit if you shared SSN/ID, and report to FTC, IC3, and the platform. Beware of "recovery service" follow-up scams.
Sometimes. If you paid by credit card or bank transfer within the last 60-120 days, contact your bank immediately for a chargeback. Crypto and gift card payments are usually unrecoverable.
No. Recovery service scammers target previous victims with fake promises. Legitimate recovery work is done by banks, law enforcement, or licensed attorneys, never by random emailers or Telegram contacts.
Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov, your state attorney general, and the platform where the scam happened.
Place a fraud alert on your credit reports (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), consider a credit freeze, file an identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov, and monitor your credit.
Tell at least one trusted person. Job scam recovery is logistically and emotionally hard. Support helps. There is no shame — these scams are professionally designed.
Varies widely. Bank transfers may chargeback in days. Credit card disputes take 30-90 days. Identity recovery can take 6-12 months. Crypto losses are typically permanent.
It creates a paper trail and may help build cases against organized scam rings. Local police rarely solve individual cases, but federal agencies (FBI, FTC) aggregate reports and act on patterns.
Use a free scam checker before responding to any unsolicited offer. Verify every recruiter through @company.com email and LinkedIn. Never pay to work.