A relative was just targeted by a suspected AI voice-clone scam, and you need to know what to do next. The 60 minutes after you realize it are the window where recovery is still realistic; this is the calm, sequenced triage to work through, on contacts you already trust.
The opening hour: verify, then stop the bleed
Step one is to confirm everyone is physically safe. Reach the relative who was supposedly in trouble using a saved contact in the phone, never a contact the caller recited and never the digits shown on the screen. The FCC's consumer guide on caller-ID spoofing is blunt that an inbound display is not proof of identity (fcc.gov/consumers/guides/spoofing-and-caller-id).
While details are fresh, jot down the time of contact, the digits that appeared, and what was demanded. Investigators and disputes will all ask for those three items. Then, if any payment was sent, treat the clock as the constraint and move straight to the rail-by-rail steps below, because settlement is what closes the recovery window.
- Confirm the relative is safe on a saved contact.
If they pick up and are fine, the threat was synthetic. You can exhale, then keep working the list to protect accounts and report.
- Record time, displayed digits, and the demand.
Screenshots help. This becomes the spine of every report and dispute you file later.
- Reach the bank's fraud desk if anything was paid.
Use the digits printed on the back of the card or statement. Speed here decides whether a reversal is even possible.
Per payment rail: exact recovery steps and time windows
How the funds moved dictates what works. The FTC's official guide on what to do if you were scammed routes each rail to the right institution (consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed).
- Wire transfer.
Phone the sending bank's wire department and request a recall immediately. Once a wire settles it is almost always final; a cancellation typically only succeeds within a roughly 30-minute pre-settlement window or before the receiving institution releases the funds. Minutes matter most on this rail.
- Gift card.
Phone the issuing brand (the company named on the card) right away, state it was used in a scam, and request a freeze on the balance and a refund. Keep the card and the purchase receipt. The FTC maintains issuer contact lines specifically for this (consumer.ftc.gov/articles/avoiding-and-reporting-gift-card-scams).
- Cryptocurrency.
Notify the exchange used to send the assets so it can flag or lock the destination wallet, then report to the FTC, the FBI, and the SEC tip portal. Crypto transfers are designed to be irreversible, so reporting fast to disrupt the cash-out path is the realistic goal (consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-cryptocurrency-scams).
- Zelle or instant peer-to-peer.
Report the transaction through the bank or credit union that hosts Zelle, not the app alone. Under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act you generally have 60 days from the statement to submit a written dispute, but escalate the same day for any chance at a clawback.
The settlement clock is the constraint. Match the rail to the right desk, then file the federal reports.
Within 24 hours: freeze credit at all three bureaus
A targeted household has had personal details exposed, so lock the credit file before anyone opens accounts in the relative's name. A security freeze is free and reversible, and each bureau must act within one business day of an online or phone request (consumer.ftc.gov/articles/credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts).
- Equifax.
Freeze online at equifax.com or by phone at 888-298-0045.
- Experian.
Freeze online at experian.com or by phone at 888-397-3742.
- TransUnion.
Freeze online at transunion.com or by phone at 800-916-8800.
All three are separate; a freeze at one does nothing at the other two. Keep the PINs the bureaus issue, since you will need them to lift a freeze when applying for credit later.
Within 24 hours: file the federal reports and save the hotline
Reporting rarely recovers funds by itself, but it feeds the disruption pipeline that shuts down the next round of targeting.
- FTC, at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
The report enters the Consumer Sentinel Network, which routes to federal and state investigators (reportfraud.ftc.gov).
- FBI, at ic3.gov.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center sends the case to a different investigative track. Its 2024 Elder Fraud Report tallied $4.885 billion in losses among adults 60 and over from more than 147,000 complaints (ic3.gov 2025 Elder Fraud Report).
- National Elder Fraud Hotline, 833-372-8311.
Run by the Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime, case managers walk an older relative through reporting and recovery referrals, in English, Spanish, and other languages (ovc.ojp.gov elder-fraud hotline).
- Mail or banking add-ons.
If a courier or the postal system carried payment, report to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. If a bank dispute stalls, escalate to the CFPB complaint system.
Guard against the recovery-scam second wave
Targeted households go onto a "sucker list" that criminals trade, and a common follow-on is the recovery scam: someone posing as a lawyer, a refund agent, or even a government office promising to retrieve what was lost, for an upfront payment. The FTC is explicit that no legitimate recovery service asks for money or gift cards upfront, and that anyone guaranteeing a refund for a fee is running the second wave of the same crime (consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-get-your-money-back-after-scam).
Treat every unsolicited offer to recover lost assets as suspect, especially one that surfaces soon after the original incident. Real reporting routes through the agencies above and never charges to file.
Where to go next, and how to prevent the next one
The Resources library carries this triage as a printable PDF, plus a fridge card and synthetic-audio samples to listen to before a crisis hits. To set up the private detail that ends one of these calls in seconds, see the kitchen-table guide; for spotting a clone in the opening seconds, read our explainer. The same shared story protects a spouse, a sibling, or anyone you would drop everything for. When ready, the kit is $59 with free US shipping, and its private line is live the day it arrives.
