What should I do if I gave my personal information to a scam website?
Immediate Steps to Secure Your Accounts
If you entered login credentials, change the password for that account and any other account that uses the same password. Enable two-factor authentication wherever possible. If you provided financial information like a credit card number, call your bank or card issuer immediately to report the fraud and request a new card.
If you gave your Social Security number, consider placing a freeze on your credit files with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A freeze is free and prevents new creditors from accessing your report, which stops most identity theft attempts.
- Change passwords on all accounts that share the compromised one
- Enable two-factor authentication
- Call your bank to cancel cards and dispute charges
- Place a credit freeze with all three credit bureaus
Monitor for Identity Theft
After a scam, watch your bank and credit card statements closely for unauthorized transactions. Get free credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com and review them for accounts or inquiries you don't recognize. Consider signing up for a credit monitoring service, though many offer limited free versions.
If you see suspicious activity, report it to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov, which provides a personal recovery plan. You may also need to file a police report, especially if the scam involved significant financial loss.
- Check statements weekly for unusual charges
- Review credit reports for unknown accounts
- Report identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov
- File a police report if money was lost
Report the Scam and Warn Others
Report the scam website to the FTC, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and your state attorney general. These reports help authorities track and shut down scams. You can also report the site to Google Safe Browsing and the hosting provider.
Warn friends and family, especially if the scam used your contact list or social media. If the scam involved a specific platform (like a fake shopping site), report it to that platform as well.
- File a complaint with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- Report to IC3.gov if online fraud
- Notify your state attorney general
- Report to Google Safe Browsing
Common mistakes
- Waiting too long to act—fraudulent charges and identity theft can happen within hours.
- Only changing the password on the compromised site and not on other accounts that reuse the same password.
- Not reporting the scam, which allows the scammers to continue targeting others.
