Getting scammed feels overwhelming, but there are concrete steps you can take right now to report the fraud, protect your money, and stop it from happening again. This guide covers what to do in the first 24 hours — and how to avoid scams in the first place.
Updated June 2026 · 7 min read
Speed matters. The faster you act, the better your chances of stopping the payment, recovering funds, and preventing the scammer from targeting someone else.
Screenshots are evidence. Capture the original listing, the seller's profile, the full conversation thread, payment confirmations, and any email or SMS trails. Save them in a dated folder. If the listing gets deleted, your screenshots are often the only proof you have.
On Facebook Marketplace, open the listing or conversation, tap the three-dot menu, and select 'Report.' Choose the fraud or scam category and include your evidence. This helps the platform remove the scammer and may protect the next person.
Call the fraud line on the back of your card or in your banking app. For credit cards and PayPal Goods & Services, ask for a chargeback or dispute. For instant-pay apps like Zelle or Cash App, report the transaction as unauthorized — recovery is harder but still worth trying immediately.
In Ireland, contact your local Garda station or report online to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB). In the UK, report to Action Fraud. In the US, file with the FBI's IC3 and your local police department. A formal report creates a paper trail that banks and insurers often require.
If you shared personal details — address, ID, phone number — monitor your credit report and consider a fraud alert. Change passwords on any accounts where you reused credentials. Scammers often sell personal data to other criminals.
Your recovery options depend entirely on how you paid. Here is what you need to know about each method.
Most scams are preventable. If you see any of these, walk away — no deal is worth the risk.
Reacting after a scam is stressful. The best protection is prevention. Safegram is designed to make scams far less likely in the first place — so you rarely need a recovery guide.
Nobody can list on Safegram without completing identity verification first.
A visible trust signal on every profile — ID, social, seller, and business verification at a glance.
Conversations stay between you and the seller — and stay on-platform where reporting tools work.
Safegram combines verified sellers, visible trust signals, and encrypted chat into one privacy-first social marketplace.
