I got scammed online. What do I do now?

• Anyone who paid a scammer or shared an OTP or password.
• Anyone being blackmailed by someone they met online.

• Your citizenship, driving licence or passport

  Official

• Screenshots of the chats, profile and payment

  Include the scammer's profile link, page name and phone numbers, not just their display name.

  In practice

• Transaction IDs, dates and amounts

  From your bank statement or wallet history.

  In practice

In practice items aren't in the official rules but are commonly asked for at the counter.

1. 1

   Stop paying and stop replying

   Scammers often ask for one more payment to "release" your money or refund you. Don't send anything more, and don't argue with them.

2. 2

   Call your bank or wallet straight away

   Ask them to block your account or card if you shared an OTP, PIN or password. Ask them to try to hold the money at the receiving account. Speed matters, because money is moved on within hours.

3. 3

   Change your passwords

   Change the passwords for your wallet, bank app, email and the social account involved. Turn on two-factor login.

4. 4

   Save the evidence

   Screenshot the whole conversation, the scammer's profile and your payment record before they delete their account.

5. 5

   Report it to the police

   Go to the nearest police station or District Police Office, or to the Nepal Police Cyber Bureau in Bhotahity, Kathmandu. All of them take online fraud complaints. Take your ID and evidence and ask for the complaint number.

6. 6

   Report the account to the platform

   Report the page or profile to Facebook, TikTok or wherever you met them, so it's harder for them to target others.