Do banks refund scammed money? How to get your money back from a scammer

Year after year, scammers seem to get sneakier and sneakier, using new advances in technology to make their scams more convincing. From modern and elaborate online dating scams to classic phishing scams, encountering deceptive practices seems nearly inevitable these days—but it doesn’t have to be catastrophic.

Thankfully, if you’re scammed, many banks refund scammed money, although eligibility depends on multiple factors. Keep reading to learn more about the process and how you can help yourself avoid falling victim to scams in the first place.

Do banks refund scammed money?

In many cases, banks do refund scammed money. Legally speaking, banks are generally required to refund scammed money if you didn’t authorize the transaction. If you did authorize the transaction—for example, you paid a scammer directly and the scammer ran off with the funds—a refund depends on things like payment type, timely reporting, and your bank’s individual policies.

What to do after being scammed

If you suspect somebody scammed you, there are steps you can take to minimize damage and potentially get your money back. Here’s what you should do immediately after being scammed:

• Stop communicating with the scammer: While you might attempt to stay in contact with the scammer to try and get your money back, this approach is unlikely to help you recover the funds. Scammers and cybercriminals make a living out of deceiving people—they won’t respond to guilt, pleas, or even threats of legal action.
• Notify your bank and credit card issuer: Immediately contact your bank or credit card issuer so they can change your account number, cancel your compromised card and issue a new one, and potentially refund the charges.
• Protect your credit report: Contact one of the three credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit report, which notifies creditors to verify your identity before extending new credit in your name. Or, place a credit freeze with all three bureaus, which prevents anyone (including you) from opening new lines of credit until it’s lifted.
• Change your passwords: If you provided login credentials or other personally identifiable information (PII) to the scammer, change them immediately. Make sure you create strong passwords for all of your accounts, starting with financial ones.
• Notify the local police: Reach out to local law enforcement to report the scam. Getting a police report may help you get refunded later, and reporting a scammer may help other people avoid a scam as well.
• Report the scam to the FTC: You should also file an FTC identity theft report or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.

15% of US consumers have been scammed in the last year³—so if that includes you, you’re certainly not alone. But why not join a different group, like the millions of customers that already trust LifeLock to protect their identity. As part of a LifeLock Standard subscription, we offer reimbursement of up to $25,000²  for stolen funds as well as coverage for personal expenses resulting from identity theft, and up to $1 million for lawyers and experts if needed.

How will a bank refund your scammed money?

If a bank is going to refund your scammed money, they’ll usually do it after reviewing a complaint, but it depends on the scam type and bank policies. Here's how your bank will likely handle your scam refund depending on your situation:

If you spot an unauthorized transaction

When you report a suspicious charge within the appropriate time frame—usually within 60 days of your bank sending the statement with the unauthorized transaction—your bank conducts an investigation. If the bank finds that you didn’t authorize the transaction, they‘ll reimburse you. If you haven’t already canceled the card responsible for the unauthorized charge, do it immediately and request a new card from your bank.

If you paid a scammer

If you already paid a scammer, your bank might refund you depending on the payment method—and some methods have better refund possibilities than others. Of course, if you pay a scammer in cash, there’s little chance a bank will refund you.

Here’s what your bank can do depending on the type of transaction:

• Credit card: These transactions are usually the easiest to refund because the chargeback process is straightforward and well-established. Many credit card companies also provide strong consumer protections.
• Wire transfers: Wire transfers typically aren’t reversible, making it much harder to recover your funds even if you report the scam within the allotted time period.
• Payment apps: Your bank likely won’t return money sent in a payment app, because these apps work as direct transfers between individuals, just like cash or wire transfers. However, some payment apps, like Cash App, may offer their own payment protection plans, so you might be able to get a refund through the app instead.
• Cryptocurrency: This is another payment type that your bank typically can’t reverse, so you’re unlikely to get your money back.

No matter what payment method you use, you should still report the fraud to your bank to see if there’s anything they can do.

If your bank account is compromised

Generally, if somebody hacked your account, your bank will refund your money as long as you report it promptly. However, if you wait too long, your liability increases, which means your bank may hold you responsible for some or even all of the lost funds. That’s why you should regularly monitor your bank account activity.

How soon can my bank refund scammed money?

Credit card disputes can take up to 90 days to resolve, while banks typically have 10 business days to investigate a fraudulent debit card transaction. However, the bank’s timelines depend on the institution and its investigation process.

Credit card charges

When you dispute a charge with your credit card company, they must verify that they received the dispute within 30 days and complete the investigation within 90 days, according to the Fair Credit Billing Act. If they discover the charge is fraudulent, they’ll credit your account. Some banks may also issue provisional credit to your account while they conduct the investigation.

Debit card charges

Because debit charges have a direct impact on your account balance, banks generally have 10 business days to investigate unauthorized debit card charges. If the bank can’t complete the investigation during this timeframe, they’ll generally issue you temporary credit for the amount of the disputed charge while they continue their investigation.

How to get alternative payments back from a scammer

Banks are less likely to refund scammed money if you used an alternative payment method, such as a wire, cash, a gift card, or a payment app. Some types of insurance may reimburse you after a scam, such as homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, cyber insurance, or business crime insurance.

Depending on the payment type, try the tips below to get a refund on scammed money:

• Contact the gift card issuer: If you unwittingly sent a scammer gift cards—such as from Amazon, Apple, or Target—you can reach out to the company that issued it and give them the card information. If the money wasn’t downloaded by the scammer, some companies will give the money back.
• Open a dispute with the payment app: If you sent funds to a scammer via a payment app like Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle, you can try and dispute the transaction with the payment app company directly.
• Reach out to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service: If you sent a check or cash to a scammer through the mail, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to request that they intercept the delivery.

How to avoid online scams targeting your bank account

The best way to avoid the headache of trying to get refunded from the bank is to avoid common online scams in the first place. Here are a few tips to help protect your personal information and prevent it from getting into the hands of scammers:

• Never pay over the phone for a transaction you didn’t initiate.
• Know that banks and government agencies will never call you for payment or sensitive personal information over the phone. If you’re unsure, hang up and initiate the contact by yourself through an official channel.
• Don’t click links in emails or texts from unknown senders—they could be scams or laced with malware.
• Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication (2FA).
• Don’t make financial transactions over public Wi-Fi unless you’re using a VPN to encrypt your connection.
• Trust your gut if something seems suspicious.

Help protect against scams with LifeLock

Jumping through hoops to get your money back from a scammer who’s stolen your details can be an arduous task. Let LifeLock Standard take some of the work off your shoulders by helping to prevent identity theft in the first place. And if it does happen, LifeLock has dedicated U.S.-based restoration specialists standing by to help you recover your identity and reimburse you for funds you may have had stolen in the process.

¹ Based on an online survey of 12,056 adults conducted by Gen, May 2023.

² Reimbursement and Expense Compensation, each with limits of up to $1 million for Ultimate Plus, up to $100,000 for Advantage and up to $25,000 for Standard. And up to $1 million for coverage for lawyers and experts if needed, for all plans. Benefits under the Master Policy are issued and covered by United Specialty Insurance Company (State National Insurance Company, Inc. for NY State members). Policy terms, conditions and exclusions at: LifeLock.com/legal.

³ Based on an online survey of 1,005 U.S. adults conducted on behalf of Gen, May 2023.