What to Do If You Are Targeted by a Deepfake Scam: The Response Playbook
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- First, Which Situation Are You In?
- Path A: You Were Targeted but Did Not Pay
- Path B: You Sent Money or Shared Information
- Path C: Someone Made a Deepfake of You
- How to Document a Deepfake for Your Report
- Avoiding the Second Scam: Recovery Fraud
- FAQ
- Conclusion: Act Fast, Report Everything, Trust No Recovery Promises
Take a breath. You can still act, and the first few hours matter most. This playbook tells you exactly what to do if targeted by a deepfake scam, sorted by your situation, so you can skip straight to your steps.
What to do if targeted by a deepfake scam: Stop all contact, preserve the evidence, and call your bank immediately if money moved. Then report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI at ic3.gov. Acting within the first hours gives you the best recovery odds and helps stop the next victim.
Stop and verify
Pause any payment and confirm through a known, separate channel.
Preserve evidence
Save recordings, messages, numbers, and timestamps.
Report it
Contact your bank, the platform, and the FBI's IC3.
Run a detection check
Confirm whether the media was AI-generated.
Warn others
Alert family, your team, or your organization.
First, Which Situation Are You In?
Pick the row that matches your situation and jump to that path. Do not waste time reading the rest first. If money is moving right now, go straight to Path B and call your bank.
| Your situation | Your path | First move |
|---|---|---|
| A scammer contacted you, but you paid nothing and shared nothing | Path A | Cut contact and save the evidence |
| You sent money, paid, or shared personal or login information | Path B | Call your bank or card fraud line now |
| You found a deepfake of you or a family member online | Path C | Document it, then report for takedown |
These paths can overlap. If you paid and a deepfake of you is also circulating, do Path B first (money is time-sensitive), then Path C.
Path A: You Were Targeted but Did Not Pay
Good. You caught it. Now lock it down so it cannot escalate and so your report helps catch the scammer.
- Cut contact. Do not confront. Stop replying. Do not warn the scammer that you are onto them, because that can trigger threats or a faster second attempt. Block the number or account after you save the evidence, not before.
- Preserve the evidence. Save the audio or video file, screenshots of every message, the phone numbers, usernames, payment handles, and any links. Note the date, time, and what was said. See the evidence kit section below for the full list.
- Verify the media to document it. If they sent a voice message or video clip, run the file through a deepfake detector so you have a dated analysis to attach to your report. Our deepfake detector returns a verdict of Authentic, Likely Synthetic, or Inconclusive with a TrustScore from 0 to 100.
- Warn the person they impersonated. If they faked your boss, your bank, or a relative, tell the real person and your family so no one else falls for it.
- Report the attempt anyway. Even with no loss, file with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI at ic3.gov. Attempt reports feed enforcement and public warnings. For the wider pattern of these schemes, see our deepfake scams guide and the voice cloning scams breakdown.
Path B: You Sent Money or Shared Information
Money recovery is a race. Banks can sometimes recall or reverse a transfer, but only if you call fast. Work this timeline in order.
First 10 minutes: call your bank or card issuer's fraud line
- Call the fraud number on the back of your card or in your banking app. Say you are the victim of a scam and ask them to stop, recall, or reverse the payment.
- For a wire, ask your bank to attempt a wire recall immediately. Speed is everything; once funds clear to the receiving account, recall odds drop sharply.
- For a card, request a chargeback or dispute and ask for a new card number.
- For gift cards, call the card issuer (the brand on the card) and ask them to freeze the funds. Odds are low, but a fast call sometimes works.
- Change passwords on any account you shared, starting with email and banking. Turn on two-factor authentication.
First 24 hours: report to the FTC and FBI, freeze credit if data leaked
- File with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. You get a report number and a personalized recovery checklist.
- File with the FBI at ic3.gov. IC3 is the FBI's central intake for cyber-enabled crime, and in some cases the FBI can help freeze stolen funds.
- If you shared personal data (Social Security number, account numbers, logins), go to IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan, and place a free fraud alert or credit freeze with the three credit bureaus.
- Report the platform account used to reach you (the social app, marketplace, or messaging service).
First week: police report, follow-ups, monitoring
- File a police report with your local department. Banks and insurers often require one, and it strengthens your case.
- Follow up on every recall and dispute in writing. Keep your FTC report number and bank case numbers together.
- Monitor your accounts and credit for new activity for several months. Set up alerts.
| You paid by | What to do | Recovery odds |
|---|---|---|
| Bank wire | Call bank, request wire recall same day | Possible if very fast, drops by the hour |
| Credit or debit card | Dispute the charge, request chargeback | Real odds, especially on credit cards |
| Gift card | Call the issuing brand, ask to freeze funds | Low, but call anyway |
| Crypto | Notify the receiving exchange, file IC3 | Low; tracing is hard and rarely returns funds |
| P2P app (Zelle, Cash App, Venmo) | Report in-app fraud, call your bank | Limited, but report immediately |
A quick honesty note: no one can promise your money back. Card chargebacks and same-day wire recalls have the best odds. Gift cards and crypto are the hardest to recover, so act fast and keep expectations realistic.
Path C: Someone Made a Deepfake of You
If a fake image, video, or voice clip of you or a family member is circulating, document it before it disappears, then push for takedown.
- Document before takedown. Screen-record the content in context, copy the exact URLs, and save the original files unmodified. Note when and where you found it. Once you report it, it may be removed, and you will still need proof.
- Report to the platform. Major platforms have reporting routes for impersonation, non-consensual imagery, and synthetic media. Use the report button on the post and the platform's dedicated impersonation or harassment form.
- Send a takedown request. Many platforms honor takedown requests for content that uses your likeness without consent. Keep copies of every request and response.
- Involve police, and consider a lawyer. File a police report, especially for extortion or threats. For legal options on misuse of your likeness, talk to an attorney; this page is not legal advice. To understand the legal landscape, see are deepfakes illegal.
- If a minor is involved, act now. Sexual content involving a minor, real or synthetic, goes to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at report.cybertip.org and the FBI at ic3.gov immediately. Do not download, save, or forward the material; report it and let investigators handle it.
If you are being threatened or extorted with a deepfake, do not pay. Paying marks you as a target and rarely ends the demands. Preserve everything and report to the FBI.
How to Document a Deepfake for Your Report
Strong evidence makes your report easier to act on. Build a simple evidence kit and keep it in one folder.
- The original file, saved unmodified. Do not crop, re-record, or edit it. Keep the file exactly as received.
- Detector analysis as supporting documentation. Run the file through a deepfake detector and save the verdict (Authentic, Likely Synthetic, or Inconclusive) and TrustScore. This supports your report; it is not court-grade forensic certification, and you should say so if asked.
- A timeline. Dates, times, and a plain-language summary of what happened.
- Communication logs. Screenshots of messages, caller IDs, usernames, payment handles, and links.
Honest framing protects you: a detector result is supporting evidence that adds weight to a report. A lawyer can commission formal forensic analysis if a case requires certified proof.
Avoiding the Second Scam: Recovery Fraud
After a scam, you become a target for a second one. Recovery scammers pose as fraud investigators, law firms, crypto tracers, or government refund agents and promise to get your money back for an upfront fee.
The rule is simple: no legitimate recovery service demands an upfront payment, and never in gift cards or cryptocurrency. Government agencies will not call to offer refunds for a fee. The FTC warns that scammers often re-target recent victims, sometimes using stolen victim lists, per the FTC. If a "recovery agent" finds you first, treat it as a fresh scam and report it.
To harden your household against the next attempt, see protect your family from AI scams.
FAQ
Can I get my money back after a deepfake scam? Sometimes. Same-day wire recalls and credit card chargebacks have real odds, so call your bank immediately. Gift cards and cryptocurrency are the hardest to recover. No one can guarantee a refund, and anyone who does is running a recovery scam. Speed is the single biggest factor in your favor.
Where do I report a deepfake scam? Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, the FBI at ic3.gov, your bank or card issuer, and the platform where it happened. If your personal data was exposed, also use IdentityTheft.gov. For sexual content involving a minor, report to NCMEC at report.cybertip.org and the FBI right away.
Should I report even if I lost nothing? Yes. Attempt reports help the FTC and FBI track patterns, issue public warnings, and build cases. Filing takes a few minutes and protects the next person the scammer targets.
Is making a deepfake of someone illegal? Increasingly yes, depending on how it is used and which state you are in, especially for fraud, harassment, or non-consensual intimate imagery. The law is evolving fast. See our overview of are deepfakes illegal for current detail, and consult a lawyer for your situation.
How do I prove a video of me is fake? Preserve the original file unmodified, run detector analysis to document it, and gather context like alibi evidence (where you actually were). Save everything in one folder. For a case that needs certified proof, a lawyer can commission formal forensic analysis. A detector result is strong supporting evidence, not a court certification.
Conclusion: Act Fast, Report Everything, Trust No Recovery Promises
If you are targeted by a deepfake scam, three moves cover almost every case. If you paid nothing, cut contact, save the evidence, and report the attempt. If money or data moved, call your bank in the first ten minutes, then file with the FTC and FBI within 24 hours. If a deepfake of you is circulating, document it, then push for takedown. Above all, ignore anyone who promises to recover your money for an upfront fee. That is the second scam.