Sent money to an online scammer? Don’t panic, but act immediately. Discover the critical first steps to take with your bank, how your payment method impacts your recovery odds, and how to protect yourself from secondary “recovery” scams.

Emma’s daughter posted “6 days until I turn 12!” on TikTok. Three days later, a stranger messaged her directly. “Happy early birthday! I saw you’re turning 12 on the 23rd. What school do you go to? I’d love to send you a gift.” He knew her exact birthday. He knew her age. He was fishing

Kevin’s phone buzzed at 2 AM. “New login to your bank account from Nigeria.” He sat up fast. He hadn’t been to Nigeria. He hadn’t even been on his computer. But his password had been stolen in a data breach three months ago. A breach he didn’t even know about. The login failed. The criminal