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Do not reply, click, call, or use contact details supplied by the suspicious message. Save the message and transaction records first, but do not keep interacting with the sender.
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What to do in the first 10 minutes
- Stop the interaction. Do not answer the text or email, click a link, open an attachment, scan a QR code, call the number in the message, or send a one-time code, password, Social Security number, or payment.
- Preserve evidence. Keep the original email with its headers if possible. Take screenshots of texts, sender details, links, invoices, check images, payment confirmations, usernames, and dates. Do not forward a malicious attachment to anyone except an official reporting address.
- Verify independently. If the message claims to be from a bank, card issuer, government agency, delivery service, or payment app, open the organization’s known app or type its known website yourself. Use the phone number on your card or a statement, not a number in the message.
- Report the attempt. Use the channel-specific route below. Reporting creates intelligence that can help agencies connect related scams, but it does not by itself cancel a payment.
- Start recovery if you shared or sent anything. Contact the relevant financial institution or service immediately and explain exactly what happened.
How to report a suspicious text message
Forward phishing texts to 7726
Forward the suspicious text to 7726, which spells SPAM. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) specifically recommends this route for phishing texts. Forward the message rather than copying only the wording, because the carrier may need sender and link information. After forwarding, use your phone’s built-in option to report the message as junk or spam and block the sender.
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Report the text to the FTC
Submit the details at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Include the phone number or sender ID, the date, what the message claimed, any link or callback number, and whether you clicked, paid, or shared information. The FTC’s phishing guidance says: “If you got a phishing email or text message, report it.”
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Use the USPS route for postal impersonation
If the text claims to be from the U.S. Postal Service—for example, it says a package is held and asks for a fee—forward it to [email protected], the address provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. You can also report it to the FTC. Do not use a link in the text to “confirm” an address or payment card.
How to report a phishing email
Forward the email to the Anti-Phishing Working Group
Send the suspicious email to [email protected]. Forward the original message when your mail program allows it; preserving the original sender and technical details is more useful than pasting the visible text into a new message.
File an FTC report
Report the attempt at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Describe the claimed organization, the sender’s address, the subject line, the destination of any link, and what the email requested. If it impersonated a bank or payment provider, notify that institution through its official app, website, or the number on your card as well.
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For an email pretending to be USPS, forward it to [email protected]. Do not delete the original before saving evidence, and do not click “unsubscribe” in an unsolicited message; that can confirm that your address is active.
How to report a suspected fake check
Recognize the common patterns
A fake-check scam often begins with an unexpected check and instructions to send part of the money elsewhere. Variations include:
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- An online buyer “overpays” and asks you to refund the difference.
- A supposed employer sends a check for equipment and tells you to pay a vendor or buy gift cards.
- A prize, grant, inheritance, or mystery-shopper assignment requires you to pay fees or return money.
- A stranger asks you to deposit a check and forward funds before the check has fully cleared.
A bank may make funds available quickly under its funds-availability rules. That availability does not prove the check is genuine. The FTC warns that a fake check can take weeks to be discovered; when it is reversed, the bank can take the credited amount back and you may be responsible for money you sent onward.
Report it to all three named destinations
For a suspected fake check, report the scheme to:
- The FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, especially when the check or instructions arrived by mail or involve postal impersonation.
- Your state Attorney General’s consumer-protection office.
Keep the check, envelope, emails, text messages, shipping labels, deposit receipt, and payment records. Do not mail the check back to an address supplied by the sender unless your bank or an investigating agency independently confirms where it should go.
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Call the bank’s fraud department immediately using the number on your debit card, statement, or the bank’s known website. Tell the representative that you suspect a counterfeit or fraudulent check, whether any funds were withdrawn, and where money was sent. Ask whether the deposit can be stopped, whether a hold or account restriction is appropriate, and what documentation the bank needs. Do not spend or transfer the credited funds while the bank investigates.
Reporting a message that impersonates a bank, card issuer, payment app, or government agency
Scammers commonly create urgency: “Your account is locked,” “A payment is pending,” or “Fraud was detected—call now.” The safe response is to leave the message and check through a channel you already trust.
- Open the institution’s official app by using the icon already installed on your device, or type a website address you know is genuine.
- Call the number printed on the back of your card or on a statement.
- Ask whether the alert is real and have the representative review recent activity.
- Never provide a password, full account number, PIN, or one-time verification code to an unsolicited caller or message.
Report the scam attempt to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also identifies the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) as a reporting option for internet-enabled crime. Use independently verified official channels rather than links or phone numbers in the message.
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What to do if you already paid
Speed matters. Contact the company that moved the money, explain that the transaction was fraudulent, and ask what can be stopped, recalled, or disputed. Recovery is not guaranteed, but a prompt request gives the provider the best chance to act.
Credit or debit card
Call the card issuer using the number on the card or a statement. Ask to report a fraudulent charge, block or replace the card if needed, and open a dispute. Tell the issuer whether you entered the card number into a website, gave it to a caller, or approved a transaction yourself after being deceived. Those details affect the investigation.
Bank transfer or ACH payment
Contact your bank’s fraud department immediately and request a recall or stop if available. Ask whether online-banking credentials, account numbers, or a one-time code were exposed. The bank may recommend changing credentials, closing the account, or adding extra verification.
Payment app
Use the app’s help or fraud-reporting function and contact the linked bank or card issuer through its official channel. Provide the recipient’s handle, transaction ID, amount, and time. Do not continue negotiating with the scammer or send a second payment to “unlock” a refund.
Wire transfer or money order
Call the wire or money-order company immediately and ask whether the transfer can be canceled or recovered. Give the confirmation number and recipient details. Recovery chances vary sharply with timing; once the recipient collects the funds, reversal may be impossible.
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Contact the gift-card issuer immediately with the card number, receipt, amount, and the date you reported the fraud. Ask whether the balance can be frozen or returned. Keep the physical card and receipt. Never send a photo of the card or its security code to a stranger.
Cryptocurrency
Contact the exchange or wallet service used to send the funds and report the address, transaction hash, amount, and time. Cryptocurrency transfers are generally difficult to reverse, but the service may be able to flag an account or preserve records.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to do if you shared credentials or personal information
Username, password, or one-time code
Change the exposed password immediately from the real service’s app or website. If you reused that password, change it everywhere, starting with email and financial accounts. Sign out of other sessions, review recovery email addresses and phone numbers, and turn on multifactor authentication using an authenticator app or hardware key where available. Tell the bank or service that a one-time code was disclosed; legitimate support staff will not ask you to read a new code to them.
Social Security number or identity documents
Use the FTC’s identity-theft guidance to determine whether you need a fraud alert, credit freeze, replacement identification, or account monitoring. Notify affected financial institutions and watch statements for accounts or applications you did not initiate. Keep a dated record of every call, case number, and document you submit.
Card or bank-account details
Ask the issuer or bank whether to replace the card, close the account, change the account number, or add transaction alerts. Review pending as well as posted transactions because a small test charge may appear before a larger attempt.
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What to do if you clicked a link or opened an attachment
Disconnect the device from the internet if you suspect it is actively sending data, then follow the FTC’s device-security guidance. Update the operating system and security software, run a full scan, remove software you do not recognize, and change passwords from a different, trusted device if possible. If the device belongs to an employer, contact the organization’s IT or security team before deleting files or reinstalling software; evidence may be needed.
If you entered credentials on the linked page, treat them as exposed even if nothing downloaded. If you approved a remote-access request, uninstall the remote-access program and tell the financial institutions you use that the device may have been controlled by someone else.
How to organize evidence for a report
A clear timeline helps agencies and financial institutions understand the event. Put these items in one folder:
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- The original text or email, screenshots, sender address or phone number, and full links.
- Dates and times, including your time zone if the contact crossed time zones.
- Names, usernames, phone numbers, email addresses, crypto wallet addresses, or bank details supplied by the sender.
- Check images, envelopes, tracking labels, invoices, receipts, transaction IDs, and confirmation pages.
- A short account of what you clicked, disclosed, deposited, or paid and the time you did it.
- Case numbers from your bank, card issuer, payment app, carrier, and agencies.
Do not post the scammer’s links publicly or forward them to friends as a warning. Share them only through the reporting or security channel that requests them.
What reporting can and cannot accomplish
Reports help the FTC, carriers, the Postal Inspection Service, state Attorneys General, financial institutions, and law-enforcement partners identify patterns, block accounts, and investigate. A report is not a guarantee that the sender will be identified or that your money will come back. Payment recovery depends on the method, the recipient’s actions, and how quickly the provider receives your request.
Keep pursuing the financial institution’s dispute or fraud process even after filing an agency report. Agencies generally do not act as a personal payment-recovery service, and they may not provide an individual case update.
Historical scale of text-message scams
The FTC reported that consumers lost $330 million to text-message scams in 2022. In a separate random sample of 1,000 text messages reported to the FTC, bogus bank-fraud warnings were the most common type. These are historical figures for the 2022 reporting period and the FTC’s sample; they are not a current-year estimate of every text consumers receive.
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| What happened | Report it to | Do next |
|---|---|---|
| Suspicious text, no interaction | 7726 and ReportFraud.ftc.gov | Report/block the sender and preserve the message. |
| Phishing email, no interaction | [email protected] and ReportFraud.ftc.gov |
Forward the original email; do not click or reply. |
| USPS impersonation | [email protected] and the FTC |
Verify any delivery issue through the official USPS channel. |
| Suspected fake check | FTC, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and your state Attorney General | Call your bank immediately; do not send onward funds. |
| Money sent or account exposed | Relevant bank, card issuer, or payment provider; FTC | Request a stop, recall, dispute, credential reset, or account protection immediately. |
Before you close the incident
- Confirm that your bank, card issuer, or payment service gave you a case number.
- Check pending and recent transactions daily until the issue is resolved.
- Replace compromised credentials and enable multifactor authentication.
- Keep copies of reports, receipts, and correspondence in a secure location.
- Ignore anyone who later promises to recover your money for an upfront fee; that is a common follow-on scam.
For a suspicious payment text or email, report the message through the appropriate federal and carrier channel. For a fake check, report all three destinations and call your bank. If you paid or disclosed information, recovery and account protection come first—and they should begin through contact details you obtained independently of the suspicious message.
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