What to do if you have been caught by a job scam
Updated 2026-10-03
It happens to careful, intelligent people, and acting quickly improves your chances of limiting the damage. You have nothing to be embarrassed about, and reporting helps stop it happening to others.
Straight away
- Stop all contact with the scammer, and do not send any more money, even for a “refund” or “release” fee.
- If you paid by bank, card or mobile money, contact your bank or provider immediately and tell them it was fraud. Speed matters, and they may be able to stop or reverse the payment.
- Keep evidence: screenshots of messages, the advert, email addresses, phone numbers, payment receipts and the website address. Do not delete the conversation.
- If you shared passwords, change them, starting with email and banking, and turn on two-step verification.
If you gave out ID or personal details
- Watch your accounts and statements for unfamiliar activity.
- Tell your bank, and consider whether any credit or identity monitoring is available in your country.
- If you sent a copy of your passport or national ID, contact the issuing authority and ask what it advises.
Report it
- Report to the police or the fraud-reporting service in your country. In the UK that is Action Fraud, or the national service that replaces it; in the US, the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov; in Kenya, the police and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. Check the official site for the current way to report.
- Report the advert to the website or platform where you found it, so it is taken down.
- If the scammer used a real company’s name, let that company know.
- You can also flag the listing in Roleful so that other users see a warning.
Beware of recovery scams
After a scam, people often get messages from “recovery services” or “investigators” offering to get the money back for a fee. These are usually the same criminals or others targeting victims. Do not pay anyone upfront to recover lost money.
This is general information, not legal advice. If a large amount is involved, consider speaking to a lawyer or a consumer-protection body in your country.