5 Things to Do if You’ve Been Scammed

Report the crime, get support, and help others from being victimized.

Take a breath. You have been targeted by highly sophisticated criminals. These organized crime groups invest millions of dollars to deceive people and steal billions of dollars every year.

They’ll steal as much as they can get. They may steal $500, $5,000, $10,000, or convince you to move your life savings into cryptocurrency investment platforms that look incredibly real, but are just facades.

It’s natural to feel violated, upset, and humiliated. But now is the time to be your own best advocate.

1. Collect evidence of the scam. 

Law enforcement will need specific information about the money transfer in order to investigate your case. Save any receipts or screenshots of the transactions. If the scam involves crypto, they will need the transaction hash (digital receipt) and the deposit address to trace your cryptocurrency.

2. Report the scam to the FBI and the FTC.

Report online to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov). Although you will not likely hear back directly from the FBI, these reports help the government track the scope of the problem and identify related cases. If there is an asset recovery, you want to make sure you have recorded your claim.

The Federal Trade Commission adds your information to the Consumer Sentinel database, accessible to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The data helps them investigate and prosecute cases involving fraud, scams, and bad business practices.

3. Contact local law enforcement.

It may not be easy to do, but call as soon as possible. Ask to speak to a financial crimes detective. Make sure they understand that the crime is happening in their jurisdiction. If your local agencies are unfamiliar with pig butchering or tell you that it’s a civil case:

• Provide them with information about Operation Shamrock and our collaboration with law enforcement and our Crypto Coalition team.

• Encourage them to watch “Pig Butchering Scams” from Last Week Tonight. 

4. Report to Operation Shamrock.

Reporting your case via the Report a Scam link on our site ensures it reaches a qualified investigator in the shortest time possible. Using our link to the Chainabuse portal allows our team leads to access your case and monitor progress, ensuring you receive the help you deserve.

Our investigations team evaluates all cases to identify whether there is an opportunity to freeze, seize, or recover funds. If so, our investigators work with your local law enforcement to help them pursue the case. Providing your details helps the private industry and the public sector collaborate. An anonymized version of the data is added to a database to help law enforcement connect cases.
Learn more about reporting on our site.

5. Give yourself grace. 

You are not alone. Scammers are very successful, and you likely know other people who have been scammed. You’re understandably in pain and feel exhausted. Let yourself rest and regroup. When you’re ready, we strongly encourage you and your family members to reach out to any of our trauma-informed survivor resource partners.