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# What should I do if I have been scammed by a fraudulent company?

If you believe a company has scammed you, act quickly and avoid giving the company any more money or access to your devices or accounts.

## Immediate Steps

- **Do not pay additional fees.** Do not send more money to unlock funds, complete a process, or settle a demand. Be especially cautious if the company pressures you or requests remote access to your phone.
- **Contact your bank or payment provider immediately if you have already paid.** Ask whether the payment can be stopped, reversed, or disputed, and explain that you suspect fraud.
- **Preserve all evidence.** Keep the contract or DocuSign agreement, receipts, bank records, emails, messages, website addresses, phone numbers, and screenshots. Do not delete the conversation.
- **Secure your accounts and device.** If you clicked a suspicious link or shared credentials, change affected passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and run a security scan. Never share passwords, payment details, identity documents, or verification codes with the suspected company.
- **Report the company and the fraud.** In the United States, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov and, when it involves an online or international operation, to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. You can also report the account or messages through the platform where you were contacted.
- **If the scam happened on a website**, keep the website address. If Control+ didn't flag it, send it to our support team so it can be reviewed (see *How to Report a Scam Website or a Website Flagged by Mistake*).

## Verify Claims Before Taking Further Action

Do not rely on a company's name, address, polished profile, media reference, or claims of association with a stock exchange. Independently check its business registration and, for financial services, confirm its license with the relevant financial regulator. If the company's role or relationship with another organization is unclear, ask for written details and get a second opinion from a trusted financial professional.

Control+ can help filter suspicious messages and calls, block dangerous websites, monitor certain identity exposures, and remove personal information from data broker sites, but it does not investigate or track down scammers and no app can prevent every scam. Report suspicious messages, block the sender where possible, and avoid further contact while seeking help from your bank and the appropriate authorities.