How to Report a Romance Scammer

Why the money call comes before the report

The reports help the authorities build cases; the call to your bank or the payment company is the only step that might stop or reverse the payment. The FTC puts it plainly: "If you paid a scammer, your money might be gone already. But it's always worth asking the company you used to send the money if there's a way to get it back." For every method it gives the same instruction: report it to the company "immediately" and ask them to reverse the payment and refund your money.

How you paid decides who to call:

How you paid	Who to call first (FTC)
Bank transfer or Zelle	Your bank or credit union
Credit or debit card	The card issuer, on the number on the back of the card
Venmo, Cash App, PayPal	The app: Cash App 1 (800) 969-1940, Venmo 1 (855) 812-4430, PayPal 1 (888) 221-1161
Gift cards	The company that issued the card, on the number on the back; keep the card and the receipt
Western Union, MoneyGram, Ria	Western Union 1-800-448-1492, MoneyGram 1-800-926-9400, Ria 1-877-443-1399 (Walmart transfers 1-855-355-2144)
Cryptocurrency	The exchange or crypto ATM operator
Cash by US mail	The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, 1-877-876-2455; for a fee it can intercept an undelivered package

Those are the US numbers from the FTC's own pages on wiring money, payment apps and gift cards; the plan above lists all fourteen gift card companies the FTC gives. About gift cards it adds: "No matter how long ago the scam happened, report it." About crypto it is frank: crypto payments "don't have the same legal protections as credit and debit cards do, so it can be hard to get your money back."

The deadlines that matter

• A UK bank transfer: 13 months. Since 7 October 2024, banks and payment firms must refund victims of authorised push payment fraud, romance scams included, up to £85,000 a claim. The Payment Systems Regulator says to report it "as soon as possible, and within 13 months of making the fraudulent payment." Firms may take an excess of up to £100, though not from vulnerable customers, and you can "expect to be reimbursed within 5 business days of making your claim", with a decision in 35 business days at most. It covers UK transfers over Faster Payments and CHAPS, not credit unions, municipal banks or national savings banks. Give the plan your payment date and it works out your deadline.
• A US credit card dispute: 60 days. To use the Fair Credit Billing Act's dispute rules, the FTC says your letter must reach the issuer "within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent to you", at the address for billing inquiries. Call first, then write.
• Everything else: today. The FTC's word for every other method is "immediately": Apple and Google can freeze a gift card that still has money on it, and USPS can intercept a package that hasn't been delivered.

Where to report, country by country

Country	Report to
United States	The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov (the FBI names it for romance scams), and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
England, Wales, Northern Ireland	Report Fraud, reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040 (it replaced Action Fraud)
Scotland	Police Scotland on 101
Canada	Your local police, then the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca or 1-888-495-8501 (weekdays, 10 am to 4:45 pm Eastern)
Australia	The police through ReportCyber at cyber.gov.au, and Scamwatch; IDCARE (1800 595 160) helps you make a free recovery plan

Two practical points about IC3 from its FAQ. It doesn't take attachments: you type or paste the details in, and keep the originals, because an agency that opens an investigation may ask you for them. And save or print your complaint as soon as you submit it: "This is the only time you will be able to retain a copy of your complaint." Whatever the country, report his profile to the app or site too, as the FTC asks.

The second scam: "we can get your money back"

Once you have lost money, you are a target again. In July 2026 the FBI warned of scammers posing as FBI staff handling IC3 complaints, contacting victims on Facebook Messenger and Telegram, using AI-generated videos of FBI leaders and building fake IC3 websites, "almost all" claiming to have recovered the victim's money or offering to. Its advice: "IC3 will never directly communicate with individuals via phone, email, social media, phone apps, online chat, or public forums," and type www.ic3.gov into the address bar yourself rather than searching for it. Anyone who asks for a fee to recover your money is running the same scam a second time. The same goes for a trading platform that wants "taxes" or "fees" before you can withdraw: the CFTC says that in these schemes "the trading site, your 'friend,' and the profits are all fake."

After the calls

Being taken in says nothing about your judgment: the FBI calls the people who run these scams "experts at what they do." Tell someone you trust; the FTC recommends it, and it helps. When you're ready, our guide to reporting a dating scam goes through the first day in more detail, what romance scams actually cost puts your loss in context, and the red flag checker and the red flags that matter most are for next time.

Sources, all read on 19 October 2026 (the agencies' sites through the Wayback Machine's copies of that month): FTC, What To Do if You Were Scammed; FTC, wiring money; FTC, mobile payment apps; FTC, gift card scams; FTC, disputing credit card charges; FTC, romance scams; FBI, Romance Scams; IC3, FAQ; FBI IC3, PSA260720; CFTC, Romance Frauds; Payment Systems Regulator, APP fraud reimbursement; Report Fraud; Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, report fraud; Scamwatch, romance scams and report a scam; cyber.gov.au, ReportCyber; IDCARE. General information, not legal advice; your bank or card provider decides your own claim.