Scam-Proof Your Family

If someone is being scammed, or just paid a scammer

Do these things first, in order. The faster you move, the better the chance of getting money back.

1. Stop paying. Stop responding. Send nothing more, even if they threaten you or say paying is the only way to fix it.
2. Call the bank now. Use the number on the back of the card. Tell them it was fraud and ask them to recall the payment. In 2025 the FBI froze $679 million before it was gone, mostly wire transfers that were reported fast.
3. Change passwords. Cancel any card you gave out. Do it from a different device. If a scammer had remote access to a computer, unplug it from the internet but leave it on, so evidence isn’t lost, and don’t use it until someone has checked it. A computer repair shop you trust can remove what the scammer installed and tell you whether the computer needs to be reset. If a lot of money or a business is involved, hire a security firm that does incident response; it can also save evidence for the police. If you can’t afford one, my free program, Cyber Pro Bono, may be able to help.
4. Save everything: screenshots, phone numbers, usernames, websites. Don’t delete any messages.
5. Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For a child: report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678.

Used a bitcoin machine in Colorado? Report it to the machine’s company and the police within 60 days. If it was your first crypto transaction and the money went to a wallet outside the U.S., Colorado statute C.R.S. 11-112-103(7) requires the company to give a full refund within 72 hours once you show proof of the fraud.

Phone numbers

• Someone is in danger911
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline988Call or text, any time. 988lifeline.org
• Archuleta County non-emergency dispatch970-731-2160For a scam happening locally right now
• NCMEC CyberTipline (kids, sextortion)1-800-843-5678Or report online at report.cybertip.org
• FBI1-800-CALL-FBI1-800-225-5324, or tips.fbi.gov
• Stop Fraud Colorado (Colorado Attorney General)1-800-222-4444Also takes price-gouging reports. stopfraudcolorado.gov
• FEMA fraud (DHS Inspector General)1-800-323-8603Fake FEMA inspectors or aid offers. Fake contractors and charities go to Stop Fraud Colorado.
• Colorado Bureau of Investigation, identity theft1-855-443-348924-hour hotline
• AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline877-908-3360Free, for anyone of any age. Weekdays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mountain time.
• Archuleta County, abuse or exploitation of an older or at-risk adult1-844-264-543724/7 reporting line. Archuleta County Human Services: 970-264-2182, weekdays 8 to 4.