What to do after an online shopping scam.
Scammers are good at creating pressure and looking real. Focus on the next useful action instead of blaming yourself.
Use this as soon as you think money or information was taken.
Take these steps.
Work from top to bottom. You can stop as soon as the seller or request no longer makes sense.
Contact the payment company now
Call the card issuer, bank, payment app, gift card company, wire company, or cryptocurrency company you used. Ask what it can do. Getting money back is not guaranteed, but it is worth asking quickly.
Protect passwords and accounts
Change any password you shared, starting on the real website. Change it anywhere else you reused it. Turn on an extra sign-in step (multifactor authentication), and check financial accounts for changes you do not know.
Save proof before it disappears
Keep the store link, ad, receipt, order number, messages, payment record, dates, and screenshots. Do not pay anyone who promises to recover your money for an upfront fee.
Report what happened
Report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Internet fraud can also be reported at the FBI's real IC3 website, ic3.gov. Type that address yourself because fake recovery sites exist.
Pause when you see this.
- Someone contacts you first and promises to recover the money for a fee.
- A person claiming to be from the FTC, FBI, or IC3 asks for payment.
- The seller asks for another payment to release a refund or package.
- A recovery helper asks for account passwords, card numbers, or remote access.
- A search ad copies the name of a government reporting website.
Keep this in mind.
If you shared a Social Security number or other identity information, use IdentityTheft.gov for a personal recovery plan.
Read the official advice.
This guide paraphrases public advice from the sources below. We checked them on July 31, 2026.