# I gave a scammer my information - what now?

> Act today, and work in order. Stop all contact and any further payments first, then lock down whatever was exposed - call your bank, freeze your cards, and place a free credit freeze if your SSN was shared - then report it to the FTC, the FBI's IC3, and the real company that was impersonated. Moving fast matters, but a clear order matters more. Here is the checklist.

Source: https://realjobcheck.com/answers/i-already-gave-a-scammer-my-information/  
Updated: 2026-06-02 - Real Job Check Trust and Safety Research Team

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First, breathe. Being scammed is not a failure of intelligence; these operations are professional and engineered to fool careful people. What matters now is acting in the right order. Do not waste energy on blame - spend it on these steps, starting at the top.

## Step 1: Stop the bleeding

- **Cut all contact** with the scammer. Do not reply, do not explain, do not "give them a chance to fix it."
- **Send no more money.** If they are pressuring you to pay again to "unlock," "release," or "recover" funds, that is the scam continuing. More money will not bring the first amount back.
- **Do not move money they sent you.** If you received a check or transfer, do not spend or forward any of it - it will likely reverse. See [the fake-check answer](/answers/job-paying-before-you-start-work/).

## Step 2: Lock down your money

- **Call your bank or card issuer now** using the number on the back of your card. Report the fraud, dispute any charges or transfers, and ask whether they can stop or reverse a recent payment.
- **If you sent a gift card,** contact the issuing brand immediately (Amazon, Apple, Google Play, and so on) and ask them to freeze the funds. Keep the card and receipt.
- **If you sent crypto or a wire,** contact the exchange or your bank at once. Recovery is unlikely but speed gives you the only real chance.

## Step 3: Lock down your identity (if you shared personal data)

- **If you shared your Social Security number,** place a **free credit freeze** with all three bureaus. A freeze blocks new accounts in your name and is free and reversible:
  - [Equifax](https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/), [Experian](https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html), [TransUnion](https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze).
- **Go to [IdentityTheft.gov](https://www.identitytheft.gov/),** the FTC's official identity-theft service, for a step-by-step recovery plan tailored to what was exposed.
- **Change passwords** for any account whose login you reused or revealed, and turn on two-factor authentication.

## Step 4: Report it

Reporting will not always recover your money, but it feeds the data that disrupts these operations and protects the next person.

- **FTC:** [reportfraud.ftc.gov](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/) - the central US fraud-report channel.
- **FBI IC3:** [ic3.gov](https://www.ic3.gov/) - for internet-enabled crime, including job and crypto scams.
- **The real company impersonated:** tell their HR or security team. It helps them warn others and shut down the fake accounts.
- **The platform** where it started (LinkedIn, Indeed, a chat app) so they can remove the account.
- **BBB Scam Tracker:** [bbb.org/scamtracker](https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker) - public reporting that warns your community.

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**Watch for the second scam.** People who were just scammed are targeted by "recovery" services that promise to retrieve the lost money for a fee. No legitimate service does this, and no government agency charges to help. If someone contacts you offering to get your money back, it is another scam.
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## Step 5: Going forward

Keep an eye on your bank and credit accounts for a few months, and consider keeping the credit freeze in place - it is free and you can lift it anytime you need to apply for credit. When you are ready to job-hunt again, the [complete guide to spotting a job scam](/learn/how-to-spot-a-job-scam/) and the [free checker](/#check) will help you vet the next offer before it gets this far. What happened to you is common and survivable, and you now know the patterns better than most.