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I Sent Money to a Scammer — What Should I Do?

You've realised that a payment or transfer you made went to a scammer rather than the person or organisation you believed it was going to. Time matters here — the sooner you report it, the better the chance of stopping or reversing the transaction.

What to do now

If you sent money to a scammer, contact your bank or payment provider immediately through an official channel. Keep the messages, transaction details and other evidence, and don't send additional money.

Do this now

Contact your bank immediately through their official fraud line — do not wait until office hours if the transfer just happened.
Provide the transaction details: amount, time, and the account it was sent to.
Ask whether the transfer can be recalled or the receiving bank can be notified to freeze the funds.

Then do this

Get a reference number for your fraud report and keep records of all communication.
Report the incident to the South African Police Service for a case number.
Review how the scam happened so you can recognise the pattern next time.

Check these things

Do you have the exact transaction reference and time?
Do you have any messages, calls, or emails from the scammer saved?

Don't do this

Don't send further money in an attempt to 'recover' the first payment — this is itself a common follow-up scam.
Don't feel too embarrassed to report it — acting fast matters more than anything else.

When should I get help?

Contact your bank's fraud line immediately.
Report to the South African Police Service.

Related help

Your situation may involve more than one issue. These related guides can help you work through the next step.

I Entered My Banking Details on a Scam Site — What Now?If you entered banking or card details into a suspicious site, contact your bank immediately through its official app, website, or trusted contact number. Do not use details from the suspicious message.Someone Has My Personal Information — What Should I Do?If your personal information has been exposed, work out exactly what information was shared, secure affected accounts, watch for suspicious activity and avoid giving the same information to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly.