Emergency

I think I've been scammed

Start here. Do not send more money. Do not delay.

Move quickly through the steps below. The first hours matter most: stopping further payments and securing accounts limits the damage. Contact the relevant institution or authority yourself, using a number or address you find independently — not one supplied inside the scam message.

Choose your situation Report it to THE GRIND

THE GRIND is an educational platform. It is not law enforcement and cannot recover money, freeze accounts or investigate a crime. The guidance here helps you take the right first actions and reach the people who can.

Step one

What happened?

Pick the situation that matches yours for a focused set of steps.

You Sent Money to a Scammer

Act now

Act quickly. The sooner your bank or provider knows, the better the chance of stopping the payment.

1
Contact your bank or payment provider now
Call the number on your card or statement and say you sent a payment as a result of fraud.
2
Ask about a recall
If you used a bank transfer, ask whether the payment can be recalled before it leaves the receiving bank.
3
Preserve the evidence
Keep messages, emails, account details, and receipts. Do not delete anything.
4
Report the fraud
Report to your national fraud service. In the UK this is Action Fraud; in the US, the FTC and IC3.
5
Warn others if relevant
If a friend or group introduced the scheme, tell them so they can stop too.

Do not

Do not send more money to try to recover what you lost.
Do not accept offers from anyone who contacts you promising to recover the funds for a fee.
Do not blame yourself; being targeted is not a failure.

If you are in immediate danger or a crime is in progress, contact the police using your local emergency number.

Full reference

Every emergency guide

The same steps as above, laid out so you can read, print or jump to any of them.

You Sent Money to a Scammer

I sent money

Act quickly. The sooner your bank or provider knows, the better the chance of stopping the payment.

1
Contact your bank or payment provider now
Call the number on your card or statement and say you sent a payment as a result of fraud.
2
Ask about a recall
If you used a bank transfer, ask whether the payment can be recalled before it leaves the receiving bank.
3
Preserve the evidence
Keep messages, emails, account details, and receipts. Do not delete anything.
4
Report the fraud
Report to your national fraud service. In the UK this is Action Fraud; in the US, the FTC and IC3.
5
Warn others if relevant
If a friend or group introduced the scheme, tell them so they can stop too.

Do not

Do not send more money to try to recover what you lost.
Do not accept offers from anyone who contacts you promising to recover the funds for a fee.
Do not blame yourself; being targeted is not a failure.

If you are in immediate danger or a crime is in progress, contact the police using your local emergency number.

You Gave Away Your Password

I gave away my password

Change the password immediately, then secure the account with two-factor authentication.

1
Change the password now
Do this from the organisation's official app or website, not from any link you were sent.
2
Change reused passwords
Anywhere you used the same password, change it too.
3
Turn on two-factor authentication
Prefer an authenticator app over text-message codes.
4
Review account activity
Check recent logins, sessions, and recovery details for anything you do not recognise.
5
Watch for follow-up attempts
Scammers often return. Treat unexpected contact as hostile.

Do not

Do not reuse the old password anywhere.
Do not click links in the message that prompted this.
Do not assume it is fine because nothing looks wrong yet.

If the account protects money or identity documents, contact the provider's fraud team as well.

You Shared Your Card Details

I shared my card information

Call your bank to freeze or replace the card and dispute any unfamiliar charges.

1
Call your bank immediately
Use the number on your card. Ask them to freeze or cancel the card.
2
Check recent transactions
Report anything you do not recognise as fraudulent.
3
Request a replacement card
A new card and number prevent further use of the old details.
4
Update genuine subscriptions
Once the new card arrives, update any legitimate recurring payments.
5
Report the scam
Tell your national fraud service so the pattern can be tracked.

Do not

Do not wait to see whether a charge appears.
Do not share one-time codes with anyone who calls afterwards.
Do not send money to fix a problem with the card.

Banks have dedicated fraud lines. If the first line is busy, use the in-app chat or a branch.

You Shared Personal Information

I sent personal information

Reduce the risk of identity fraud by securing accounts and watching for misuse.

1
Note what you shared
Write down which details were disclosed so you can monitor the right things.
2
Secure your accounts
Change passwords and turn on two-factor authentication on important accounts.
3
Watch for unexpected contact
Be alert to calls or messages that reference the information you shared.
4
Check your credit or accounts
Look for accounts or queries you did not authorise.
5
Report if misuse occurs
Contact the relevant organisations and your national fraud service.

Do not

Do not panic; quick, calm action reduces most risk.
Do not share further details with anyone who contacts you about it.
Do not ignore unusual post or account notifications.

If identity documents were involved, ask the issuing authority about protective measures.

Your Account Has Been Taken Over

My account was taken over

Start recovery with the provider and warn your contacts.

1
Use the official recovery process
Go to the provider's website or app directly and begin account recovery.
2
Secure recovery details
Once back in, change the password and update the recovery email and phone number.
3
Remove unknown sessions
Sign out all devices and sessions you do not recognise.
4
Warn your contacts
Tell people that messages may have come from your account.
5
Check linked accounts
If the account is an email address, secure everything connected to it.

Do not

Do not pay anyone who offers to recover the account for a fee.
Do not reuse the compromised password.
Do not ignore messages from contacts asking about unusual requests.

If you cannot recover the account, ask the provider for its formal complaint and escalation process.

You Clicked a Suspicious Link

I clicked a suspicious link

Clicking a link alone is usually harmless. Check what you entered and act from there.

1
Close the page
Do not enter anything further and close the browser tab.
2
Think about what you typed
If you entered a password or card details, treat the account as compromised.
3
Change any exposed password
Do it from the official app or website, and anywhere it was reused.
4
Run a security scan
If you downloaded a file, scan your device and remove anything suspicious.
5
Watch your accounts
Check for unfamiliar logins, charges, or messages over the next few days.

Do not

Do not panic if you only clicked and closed the page.
Do not enter credentials to check whether the page was real.
Do not ignore a download prompt or file you did not expect.

If you are unsure, contact the organisation using its official number and ask about recent activity.

Contact the right people promptly

Your bank or card issuer, the platform where the account lives, and your national fraud or cybercrime reporting body are the fastest routes. Have dates, amounts and reference numbers ready.

Keep the evidence

Do not delete messages, emails or screenshots. They help your bank, the platform and any authority you report to. You can also document it here.

THE GRIND is not law enforcement and does not provide legal, financial or emergency services. If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency number.