After you paid
You already sent the money
Updated 6 September 2026
The useful sequence is mechanical. Call the institution that still has a chance to move. File the two reports. Then stop talking to strangers about the loss.
Who can still move
A card issuer can sometimes reverse a charge. A bank can sometimes recall an ACH if you are fast. A gift-card desk can sometimes freeze unused codes if you still have the receipts. Crypto that left a hosted exchange might be flagged; crypto that left a personal wallet is usually gone. Ask each place what they can do. Do not let a stranger narrate those rules for a fee.
Report once, clearly
FTC ReportFraud is the consumer file. IC3 is the FBI’s internet-crime intake when a transfer or account takeover is involved. Your state attorney general may take a copy. Our agency map is the longer list. We will not invent a case number or a wait time.
Then the second con
People who just paid are a list. The next call offers a “trace.” That page is crypto recovery, and the advice is the same when the first loss was a gift card.
Quick answers
- Will I get the money back?
- Sometimes a card charge can be disputed. Wires and crypto usually cannot. We will not invent a percentage.
- A recovery firm found me.
- That is the second scam. See the crypto-recovery page even if you did not pay in coin.
- They want a little more to unlock a refund.
- No.
This is general safety information, not legal advice. Scams change. If you need an official desk: FTC ReportFraud or IC3.