Scams, Fraud & Money Recovery
After a scam in the US: freeze the money, report to IC3 and the FTC, dispute the charge under FCBA or Regulation E, and escalate to the CFPB if the bank refuses to refund.
Covered in this guide:
The first hours after a scam decide how much money you get back. The Fair Credit Billing Act (15 U.S.C. § 1666) gives you 60 days to dispute a credit-card charge in writing. Regulation E (12 C.F.R. § 1005.11) gives you 60 days to dispute an electronic fund transfer — and forces the bank to investigate within 10 business days, with provisional credit if the investigation runs longer. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and its Recovery Asset Team can attempt a Financial Fraud Kill Chain on wire transfers reported within 72 hours; in 2024, the team froze $561 million using a 66% success rate. The FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint are the federal complaint channels that escalate the cases your bank ignores.
This guide does not cover criminal prosecution of the scammer — that is law enforcement's job and is rarely the route to your money. The pages below cover the civil money-recovery path you control.
Key Laws
Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA)
15 U.S.C. § 1666
60-day written-notice rule and creditor billing-error procedure for credit-card disputes.
Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA)
15 U.S.C. § 1693 et seq.
Liability caps and error-resolution rights for debit cards, ACH, and other electronic transfers.
Regulation E
12 C.F.R. § 1005.11
EFTA's implementing rule — 60-day consumer notice, 10-business-day investigation (extendable to 45 with provisional credit).
CFPB consumer complaint authority
12 U.S.C. § 5534
Federal complaint forwarding and tracking against banks, card issuers, money transmitters, and credit reporting agencies.
First 24 Hours After Being Scammed
Time is the single biggest variable in how much money you get back. Banks reverse fraudulent charges, the FBI freezes wire transfers, and credit bureaus place free fraud alerts — but every one of thos...
Reporting a Scam to IC3, the FTC, and the CFPB
There is no single federal scam hotline in the United States. There are three federal channels and one state channel, and each one feeds a different downstream consequence. IC3 is run by the FBI for c...
Getting Your Money Back After a Scam
Federal law gives you two distinct money-recovery routes depending on how you paid. The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) covers credit cards: you have 60 days from the statement showing the charge to se...