Just got scammed? What to do in the first 24 hours

First, cut the connection

If a stranger was given remote access to the computer, shut the computer down and leave it off. If money or account details were given over the phone, hang up and do not answer calls from that number again. Scammers almost always call back, often pretending to be someone new who can "help recover" the loss. That recovery call is part of the same scam.

If money moved, call the bank now

Call the number printed on the back of the card or on a bank statement, never a number the caller gave you. Tell them the payment was fraud and ask what can be reversed or frozen. Speed genuinely matters here: transfers can sometimes be stopped in the first hours and rarely after a few days. If gift cards were bought, call the card company on the card itself and ask them to freeze the balance.

Change the passwords that matter, from a different device

From a phone or another computer that was not involved, change the password on the email account first, because whoever controls the email can reset everything else. Then the bank, then anything else the scammer may have seen. If two-factor authentication is not already on those accounts, this is the moment to turn it on.

Report it

Report the fraud to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and if identity details like a Social Security number were shared, follow the steps at identitytheft.gov, including freezing credit at the three bureaus. If you feel unsafe or a large sum is involved, the police non-emergency line takes fraud reports too. Reporting rarely brings money back, but it protects you legally and helps shut the operation down.

Then get the device checked

If a scammer connected to the computer, assume they left something behind. Remote access tools and password grabbers are standard practice. This is the part we handle: we check the machine, remove anything that should not be there, confirm the accounts are locked down properly, and go over what happened calmly so the same trick does not work twice. If the scare came from a fake virus popup and nothing was clicked or paid, you may only need reassurance and a cleanup, and we will tell you honestly which it is.

One rule going forward

Real companies do not call about a virus. Not Microsoft, not Apple, not Amazon, and never your bank asking you to move money to keep it safe. Anyone who does is reading a script. Hang up and call a number you already trust.