us Money & financial emergencies

What to do if…
someone claiming to be your bank tells you to move money to a safe account

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: 29 July 2026 Last reviewed: 17 August 2026 Editorial policy USA guide

Short answer

Do not move the money. End the call or message, then contact your bank independently through its official app or website, the number on the back of your card, or the number on a recent statement.

Do not do these things

Do not transfer or withdraw money to protect it, even if the person creates urgency.
Do not share a password, PIN, verification code, or security answer.
Do not trust the displayed caller ID, because a bank name or phone number can be spoofed.
Do not call a number, follow a link, or use contact details supplied by the caller.
Do not buy cryptocurrency, gift cards, gold, or other valuables on the caller’s instructions.
Do not give the caller remote access to your phone or computer.
Do not keep the contact secret because the caller told you to.

What to do now

End the call, stop replying to messages, and reject any pending transfer, payment, sign-in, or verification request.
Contact your bank through a route you know is genuine. Tell its fraud or security team that someone claiming to represent the bank instructed you to move money to a safe account.
Ask the bank to review recent and pending activity, including transfers, withdrawals, new recipients, changed contact details, and unfamiliar account access.
If you already sent money, contact the bank or payment provider immediately. Report the transfer as connected to a scam and ask whether it can be stopped, recalled, or reversed. Recovery is not guaranteed, but prompt contact may improve the chance of limiting the loss.
If you shared a password, PIN, or verification code, tell the bank exactly what you disclosed. Change the affected password through the official app or website, and change it anywhere else you reused it.
If the caller had remote access to a device, stop using that device for banking. Contact the bank from a device the caller did not access, then update the affected device’s security software, run a scan, and remove anything identified as a problem.
Keep messages, screenshots, phone numbers, transaction references, recipient details, dates, and amounts. Do not contact the caller again to obtain more information.
Report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission. If money was transferred or an online account was accessed, you may also file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
If you disclosed your Social Security number or other sensitive identity information, use IdentityTheft.gov for steps based on what was exposed.

What can wait

You do not need to determine how the caller obtained your information, investigate who was responsible, or decide every later account-security step now. Contacting your bank and trying to stop any movement of money comes first.

Important reassurance

A caller may know your name, address, bank, or account details and may make the caller ID display your bank’s real name or number. That does not prove the caller is genuine. Ending the contact and reaching your bank independently is the appropriate immediate response.

Scope note

This guide covers immediate first steps only. Later decisions about account security, identity theft, complaints, or attempts to recover money may require help from your bank or another appropriate specialist.

Important note

This is general information, not legal, financial, cybersecurity, or other professional advice. Available protections and recovery options depend on how the money was moved and the facts of the transaction.

Additional Resources

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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