Emergency Escape Hatch
🚨 Realizing it's a scam right now? Read this IMMEDIATELY.
The next four steps protect your evidence, your remaining funds, and your options. Do them in order.
📶 Works offline — install GACS once and this guide stays readable even without signal.
- 1DO NOT CONFRONT THE SCAMMER.Act normal so they do not freeze your login, delete the chat, or wipe evidence yet. Stay calm and buy yourself time.
- 2SCREENSHOT EVERYTHING.Save your chat history, the scammer's phone number logs, profile pictures, group invites, deposit instructions, and transaction history right now — before the account disappears.
- 3DOWNLOAD TRANSACTION DATA.Export every transaction hash, wallet string, exchange withdrawal record, and bank wire reference. These are the only things investigators can actually chase.
- 4CEASE ALL PAYMENTS.Never pay a "tax", "clearance fee", "anti-money-laundering deposit", or "account unlock" to get your money back. That is the secondary trap and it always escalates.
Active Scam Victim Emergency Checklist
- Stop sending money
Halt all further transfers, deposits, or KYC submissions immediately.
- Lock accounts
Freeze cards, change passwords, enable 2FA on every financial account.
- Preserve evidence
Screenshot every conversation, page, and wallet address before they go offline.
- Report to authorities
File reports with local police, your bank, and national fraud agencies.
- Add to blacklist
Submit the scammer to the public blacklist so others get warned.
Quick answers
If you were just scammed: stop all payments, freeze the account or card used, screenshot every message before it disappears, then report to your bank and to your national fraud authority — in that order.
What should I do immediately after being scammed?
Stop sending money, contact your bank or card issuer to freeze the account and request a chargeback, screenshot every message and transaction before the scammer deletes them, change passwords and enable two-factor authentication, then file a report with your national fraud authority.
Can I get my money back after a scam?
Sometimes. Card and bank transfers have the best odds if reported within hours — ask your bank for a chargeback or recall. Crypto transfers are usually irreversible, but reporting the receiving wallet quickly can help exchanges freeze funds.
Should I keep talking to the scammer?
No. Stop responding, but do not delete the conversation. Preserve the full thread, profile links, and payment details as evidence before blocking.
Who do I report a scam to?
Report to your bank or payment provider first, then to your national fraud body — the FTC and IC3 in the US, Action Fraud in the UK, or the CAFC in Canada — and to the platform where the scammer contacted you.
Authoritative sources
Independent primary sources used to check and corroborate the guidance on this page.
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Official US channel for reporting internet-enabled fraud and cybercrime.
- US Federal Trade Commission — ReportFraud
Consumer fraud reporting and published enforcement data.
- UK Action Fraud
UK national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
Canada's central repository for fraud reports and scam alerts.
