Get money back
Already paid? Move fast.
What to do right away, how card disputes work, how FTC refunds work, and where to report it.
Right away
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If you already paid
If you paid a scammer, contact the company you used to send the money right away, whether that's your bank, card issuer, payment app, wire service, gift card company or crypto exchange, and ask them to reverse the payment.
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Crypto payments are hard to reverse
Crypto payments don't have the same legal protections as credit and debit cards, so it can be hard to get that money back.
Credit card disputes
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Dispute card errors within 60 days
Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, write to your card issuer at its billing-inquiries address so your letter arrives within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent to you.
Source: FTC Consumer Advice, Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
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Unauthorized card charges
The billing dispute process covers errors like unauthorized charges, and federal law limits your responsibility for unauthorized credit card charges to $50.
Source: FTC Consumer Advice, Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
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How long the issuer has
The issuer has to acknowledge your dispute in writing within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days of getting it.
Source: FTC Consumer Advice, Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
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You can hold back the disputed amount
While the issuer investigates, you can withhold payment on the disputed amount and related charges, but you still need to pay the rest of the bill.
Source: FTC Consumer Advice, Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
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Disputes over what you got
If a seller won't fix a problem with something you bought by credit card, federal rules let you raise it with the card issuer after a good-faith try with the seller. Generally, the purchase must be over $50 and made in your home state or within 100 miles of your billing address.
Source: eCFR, 12 CFR 1026.12(c) (Regulation Z, claims and defenses against card issuers)
Refund scams are real
FTC refunds are never paid for
The FTC never charges upfront fees or asks for sensitive information like your Social Security or bank account number to send a refund. Anyone claiming to be the FTC and asking for money is a scammer.
How FTC refunds work
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Usually no claim form
Most FTC cases don't require you to file a claim. Court orders usually make defendants hand over customer lists, which the FTC uses to send payments.
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Refunds come after the case ends
The FTC can't send payments until all legal action is complete and it has collected money from the defendants.
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Partial refunds are split evenly
When there isn't enough money for full refunds, the FTC usually pays pro rata, so each person gets the same percentage of their loss. It may send a second round if money is left.
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Taking a refund keeps your rights
Accepting an FTC refund doesn't make you give up rights you may have under federal or state law.
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Case money doesn't pay FTC lawyers
None of the money collected in FTC lawsuits goes to the FTC or its attorneys. Apart from direct costs like printing and mailing checks, the FTC tries to return it all to people who were harmed.
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Reporting can put you on a refund list
The FTC may search Consumer Sentinel reports about a defendant and use the contact information in them to build its list of people who could get refunds.
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Where FTC refund programs are listed
The FTC lists all of its active refund programs, with dates and administrator phone numbers, at ftc.gov/refunds.
Source: FTC, FTC Refund Programs
Report it
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Where your FTC report goes
Reports filed at ReportFraud.ftc.gov go into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure database that local, state and federal law enforcement can use.
Source: FTC Consumer Alert, Did you spot a scam? Here's what to do next (August 2026)
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Report to two attorneys general
The FTC suggests reporting a suspected business or coaching scam to the attorney general where you live and in the state where the promoter is based.
Source: FTC Consumer Advice, When a Business Offer or Coaching Program Is a Scam
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ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Report a scam or bad business practice to the FTC. Reports go into the Consumer Sentinel Network, which local, state and federal law enforcement can use.
Cost: No fee listed.
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FTC Refund Programs
See every active FTC refund program, when payments went out, and the phone number for each refund administrator.
Cost: Free; the FTC never requires payment to get a refund.