- USA.gov: report identity theft to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov or 1-877-438-4338, ask the three major credit bureaus to place fraud alerts and a credit freeze, and call the fraud department at your card issuers and bank.
- The FBI's IC3 asks you to include the phone number the contact came from and any website, to secure personal information and financial accounts, and to dispute unfamiliar charges.
- The FTC lists payment by cryptocurrency, wire transfer, payment app or gift card as a sign of a scam.
- The IC3 warns that scammers impersonate it; it does not work with law firms or crypto services to recover lost funds and will not contact you for information or money.
First hour
- Call your bank or card issuer on the number printed on your card. Say a payment was made to a scammer and ask to stop or dispute it. Dispute rules depend on how you paid; do not assume money is lost or safe.
- Stop all contact with the seller. Do not pay a “release fee”, a “customs fee” or a refund fee. These are the second wave of the same scam.
- Save evidence. Screenshots of the ad, chats, payment receipts, phone numbers, email addresses and website addresses. The IC3 specifically asks for the phone number and website.
- Change passwords for any account you used or shared with the seller, starting with email and banking.
If you sent identity documents
| What you sent | What to do |
|---|---|
| Passport photo page or the passport itself | If the passport is gone, report it to the State Department right away: online with Form DS-64, by phone at 1-877-487-2778, or by mail (USA.gov). The State Department then invalidates it. |
| Driver's license photo | Contact your state licensing agency (see the directory) and ask what it recommends. Watch your credit and accounts. |
| Social Security number | Place a fraud alert and credit freeze, and report at IdentityTheft.gov. Report Social Security fraud to the SSA Office of the Inspector General. |
| Card or bank details | Ask the issuer to replace the card and review recent charges. |
| Selfie holding your ID | Treat as identity exposure: credit freeze and monitoring, and report to the FTC. |
First week
- Report to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov (identity misuse) and ReportFraud.ftc.gov (the scam). USA.gov says IdentityTheft.gov provides a list of steps to help you recover.
- File with the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov. Include the details above.
- Check your credit reports for accounts you did not open. USA.gov lists warning signs: bills for items you did not buy, collection calls for accounts you did not open, denials of loans, and mail that stops coming.
- Tell the agency the scam used as cover. State DMVs publish scam pages; Georgia's DDS and California's DMV both ask for reports to the FTC.
- Consider a tax identity step. USA.gov says that if you suspect tax-related identity theft and have not received an IRS notice, you can file Form 14039.
Beware the recovery scam
People who have lost money are targeted again by “recovery” services that promise to retrieve funds for a fee. The IC3 states that it does not work with any non-law-enforcement entity, such as law firms or crypto services, to recover lost funds, and that it will never directly contact you for information or money. Treat any message offering recovery for a fee as a new scam.
What not to expect
Reports to the FTC and IC3 feed investigations; they do not by themselves return money, and neither agency promises an individual outcome. Do not rely on a report as a substitute for contacting your bank and locking down your credit.
If the scam involved a particular document
- Licenses and IDs: buying a driver's license and fake DMV texts.
- Passports: passport renewal sites.
- Social Security: replacing the card.
- Immigration forms: notario fraud.
A note on shame and speed
People who have paid a fake-document seller often wait before acting, because they feel foolish or because they hope the order might still arrive. The cost of waiting is that card limits, dispute windows and fraud alerts all work better early. The FTC lists urgency as one of the four signs of a scam, and the same pressure can keep a victim paying. A report is not an admission of anything; it is how the agencies see patterns.
Frequently asked questions
What do I do if I paid a scammer?
Call your bank or card issuer right away, stop contact, save evidence, then report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and IdentityTheft.gov and to the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov. Place a fraud alert and credit freeze if you shared personal data. Keep the receipt, because your bank may ask for the date, the amount and the recipient to open a dispute.
Can I get my money back?
It depends on how you paid. Card payments can sometimes be disputed; gift cards, crypto and wires are difficult or impossible to recover. Ask your bank immediately. Be wary of anyone who offers recovery for a fee. Gift cards and crypto are the hardest to recover, which is why the FTC lists them as a warning sign. Ask your bank anyway, since it costs nothing.
I sent a photo of my driver's license. What now?
Place a credit freeze, watch your accounts, report to the FTC, and contact your state licensing agency to ask what it recommends. Do not send further documents to the seller. It is also worth asking your state agency what it recommends after a license photo has been shared.
I mailed my passport to a scammer.
Report it lost to the State Department right away online with Form DS-64, by phone at 1-877-487-2778 or by mail. The State Department invalidates it, and you apply for a replacement in person with Form DS-11. USA.gov's identity-theft page also tells people to check their credit reports for accounts they did not open.
Will the FBI recover my money?
The IC3 collects complaints and says it does not work with outside firms to recover funds. A report supports investigations, but it does not promise recovery. The IC3's own homepage says it will not contact you for information or money, so a message claiming otherwise is a second scam.