After a Scam: 72-Hour Recovery Kit (Printable Action Plan)

Just been scammed, or helping someone who has? This calm, step-by-step printable tells you exactly what to do in the first hour, the first day and the first 72 hours.

Scams are run by professionals. Acting fast, in the right order, gives you the best chance of stopping a payment and protecting your accounts.

What's inside (13 pages)

• The First Hour checklist
• What to do by payment method: credit card, debit card, Zelle, wire, Western Union/MoneyGram, payment apps, gift cards, crypto, cash by mail
• The first 24 hours: where to report (FTC, FBI IC3, police, Elder Fraud Hotline) and how to freeze your credit
• Fill-in bank call script
• Account lockdown tracker, evidence checklist and case log
• Warning: "recovery" scams that target victims a second time
• The next 30 days
• A page for family and friends: what to say (and not say)
• Help outside the US (UK, Canada, Australia)

Based on guidance from the FTC, FBI and other official sources. Large, clear text. US Letter and A4 (PDF, in a zip).

General information, not legal or financial advice. Written with AI assistance and checked against official sources.