What to Do When Scammers Steal Money From Your Bank Account

Speed is everything when fraud hits your account. Step one: call your bank immediately to block the account and any linked cards. Do not wait until morning, do not wait to "confirm" — call the moment you notice something wrong. Step two: file a fraud claim with your bank; in most countries they have a 10-day investigation period and may issue provisional credit. Step three: file a police report for your records.

In the days after: change all online banking passwords and any passwords that were the same. Enable two-factor authentication on every financial account. Review your recent transactions carefully for smaller unauthorized charges that you might have missed. The sooner you report fraud, the more likely you are to recover the funds — many banks have stronger protections if you report within 24-48 hours.