If you were scammed: getting your money back

Speed matters more than anything else. The first few hours after a payment are when recovery is most likely.

Right now

1. Call your bank's fraud line (the number on your card or the bank's own website). For a wire, ask for an immediate recall. With Zelle, card, or debit payments, open a fraud claim or chargeback.
2. PayPal, Venmo, Cash App: report the transaction in the app and contact support. Payments sent as "friends and family" are rarely protected, but report them anyway.
3. Cryptocurrency: note the wallet address and transaction ID and report it to the exchange you used.
4. Gift cards: call the card issuer with the card numbers and receipts. Some can freeze unspent balances.

Then report it

• US: the FTC and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and your state attorney general.
• Your local police. A report number helps with bank claims.
• Outside the US: your national police and fraud-reporting centre.
• The marketplace where you found the listing (Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, TractorHouse and so on).
• CarSaleScam, so the next buyer is warned.

Beware of "recovery" services

After a scam, victims are often contacted by people offering to recover the money for an upfront fee, sometimes posing as lawyers, investigators or government agencies. These are almost always a second scam. Real authorities don't charge you to investigate.

Before your next purchase

• Search the phone number, website and email separately on this site and on a search engine.
• Check when the website's domain was registered. Scam sites are usually only weeks old.
• Reverse-image-search the photos. Scammers lift them from genuine dealer listings.
• Ask for a live video call showing the vehicle or machine with today's date written on paper.
• Verify the VIN or serial number with the manufacturer or a history report.
• Never pay by wire, Zelle, crypto or gift cards to someone you haven't met, and never use an escrow or shipping company the seller picked.