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Module F · Financial Fraud Awareness · Free forever

I think I'm being scammed

If this is happening right now, start with the box below.

Right now

  • Stop sending money or information — pause any transfer, gift card purchase, or crypto payment in progress, even if you're mid-call.
  • Hang up or stop replying. A real institution will not penalize you for verifying independently.
  • Verify through a number or site you looked up yourself — never the one the contact gave you.

Common signs it's a scam

  • Urgency — "act in the next 10 minutes," "your account will be closed today."
  • Secrecy — "don't tell your bank/family," "keep this confidential."
  • Unusual payment methods — gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or payment apps to a stranger are the top methods scammers ask for, because they're hard to reverse.
  • Contact you didn't initiate — a call, text, or email about a prize, debt, or "problem" you weren't expecting.

If money or information was already sent

  • Bank transfer or check: contact your bank immediately and ask about reversing or flagging the transaction.
  • Gift cards: contact the retailer that issued the card — some can freeze the balance if reported quickly.
  • Personal information (SSN, card numbers, passwords): treat it as identity theft — place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the credit bureaus, and change reused passwords.
  • Cryptocurrency or wire transfer: these are usually not reversible — report it anyway, both to help you and to help others.

Where to report it

  • Federal Trade Commission: reportfraud.ftc.gov — the US government's central fraud-reporting intake.
  • FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): ic3.gov — for online/internet-enabled scams.
  • Your bank or card issuer's fraud line — usually printed on the back of the card.
What this is not: this is immediate triage. It isn't a substitute for reporting to your bank, local authorities, or the FTC — do that as the next step.

This page and the app's full Safety tab are free forever, with no account required and no Pro version — see the Safety hub for the rest.