How to get your money back from a scam website

The moment you realize you've been scammed:

- Don't send more money (even if they promise to refund it)

- Don't engage further with the scammer

- Don't click any links they send

- Don't reply to their messages

- Screenshot everything before they delete it

Most scams involve follow-up requests:

- 'Send more money to cover fees for the refund'

- 'Pay a small tax to receive your prize'

- 'Your account is locked, pay to unlock'

- 'Send a verification payment to confirm your identity'

These are all part of the scam. The refund or prize doesn't exist. Sending more money just loses more.

If they have remote access to your computer (tech support scams), disconnect from the internet immediately and shut down. Run antivirus. Change all passwords from a different device.

If they have your personal information (SSN, bank account, etc.), you need identity theft protection steps beyond just the money recovery.

Before you do anything else, save all evidence:

- Screenshots of the website (use web archive if possible: archive.org)

- All emails from the scammer

- Chat logs

- Receipts or transaction records

- The website URL and any related URLs

- Any other identifying information

Scammers often take down their websites quickly once they realize you're onto them. Screenshot now.

Also document:

- How you found the website (search engine, social media ad, email)

- What they promised

- What they actually delivered (if anything)

- Any specific names or contact info they used

- The amount lost

- Date and time of all interactions

This documentation is essential for:

- Police reports

- Bank disputes

- FTC complaints

- Insurance claims (if applicable)

Credit card disputes are your strongest recovery tool:

1. Call the number on the back of your card immediately

2. Tell them you were scammed and want to dispute the charge

3. They'll open a dispute case

4. Provide all documentation

5. They'll investigate (usually 30-90 days)

6. They may issue a provisional credit while investigating

The Fair Credit Billing Act limits your liability to $50 for unauthorized credit card charges. Most banks waive even that. For fraudulent or scam transactions, banks often reverse the entire charge.

Tips for a successful dispute:

- Report within 60 days of the charge appearing

- Provide detailed documentation

- Be specific about how you were scammed

- Mention if the merchant can't be contacted

- Follow up regularly

Many banks have specific fraud departments that handle scam cases. They may:

- Reverse the charge

- Issue a new card

- Add fraud alerts to your account

- Refer you to additional resources

PayPal has good buyer protection for unauthorized transactions:

1. Log into paypal.com

2. Go to Resolution Center (paypal.com/disputes)

3. Click 'Report a Problem'

4. Select the transaction

5. Choose 'I didn't authorize this transaction' or 'Significantly not as described'

6. Provide details and documentation

7. Submit

PayPal's process:

- Opens dispute within minutes

- Freezes the merchant's account

- Merchant has 8 days to respond

- Escalates to claim if no resolution

- Issues refund if you win

PayPal Buyer Protection covers:

- Unauthorized transactions

- Items not received

- Items significantly different from description

- Some scam scenarios

PayPal refunds typically take 3-5 business days once approved.

These are the hardest to recover. But it's not always hopeless.

Wire transfer (Western Union, MoneyGram):

- Contact the wire transfer service immediately

- Request a recall or cancellation

- Faster recovery if the recipient hasn't picked up the money

- After pickup, recovery is very unlikely

Gift cards (iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, etc.):

- Contact the gift card issuer immediately

- Provide the gift card numbers

- They may freeze the cards if not yet used

- Once used, recovery is very unlikely

- Scammers often use these specifically because they're hard to trace

Cryptocurrency:

- Report to the exchange you sent from

- Provide transaction hashes

- Recovery is very unlikely once confirmed

- Some specialized firms do crypto recovery (for a fee)

Bank transfers:

- Contact your bank immediately

- Request a recall

- For ACH transfers, may be reversible if caught within 24 hours

- Wire transfers can sometimes be recalled if not yet picked up

If recovery isn't possible, focus on preventing further loss: change passwords, enable 2FA, monitor accounts, file reports.

Even if you can't recover the money, file reports to help others:

FTC (Federal Trade Commission):

- reportfraud.ftc.gov

- Creates a national database

- Helps law enforcement track patterns

FBI's IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center):

- ic3.gov

- For internet-based scams

- Federal investigations possible

BBB Scam Tracker:

- bbb.org/scamtracker

- Helps warn other consumers

Your state's Attorney General:

- Most have online complaint forms

- State-level consumer protection

Local police:

- File a report even if amount is small

- Creates an official record

- May help with insurance claims

- Required for some recovery options

Social media / search engines:

- Report scam ads to Facebook, Google, etc.

- Helps them take down fraudulent ads

- Reduces future victims

The website host:

- Look up the domain on whois.com

- Contact the hosting provider

- Report abuse

- Many hosts will take down scam sites when notified