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What to do if…
your bank sends a suspicious transaction alert asking you to confirm by link

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy USA guide

Short answer

Do not click the link, reply, call a number from the message, or share any code. Contact your bank using a trusted route, such as the number on your card, a statement, or the bank’s official app or website, and ask them to secure the account and review recent activity.

Do not do these things

  • Don’t click the “confirm” link or log in through it.
  • Don’t call a phone number, open a chat, or download an app from the message.
  • Don’t share your password, PIN, card details, Social Security number, or one-time code with anyone who contacted you first.
  • Don’t approve unexpected new-device prompts, payment approvals, or security notifications you did not start.
  • Don’t move money because someone says it is the only way to protect it.
  • Don’t assume it is real because caller ID looks right or the message appears in a real-looking thread; names, numbers, and message threads can be spoofed.
  • Don’t delete the message until your bank has told you what they need from it.

What to do now

  1. Stop using the message. Take a screenshot showing the wording, sender, phone number or email address, and time received. Do not tap links, reply, or open attachments.
  2. Contact your bank safely. Use the number on the back of your card, a statement, or the bank’s official app or website that you navigate to yourself. Say: “I got a message asking me to confirm a suspicious transaction by link. I did not request this. Please check my account and secure it.”
  3. Ask the bank to secure the account. Depending on what is affected, ask about freezing or replacing the card, resetting online banking access, adding account alerts, reviewing pending transfers, and placing any temporary restrictions or extra checks the bank can apply.
  4. Check for account takeover signs with the bank or in the official app. Look for new payees or recipients, changed email or phone details, a changed address, new devices, new digital wallet additions, new cards, or transfers you do not recognise.
  5. If you clicked the link or entered information, treat the account as exposed. Tell the bank exactly what you entered, change your online banking password only through the official app or website, and change the same password anywhere else you reused it.
  6. If you shared a one-time code or approved a prompt, tell the bank that clearly. Ask them to review recent logins, device enrolments, transfer approvals, and contact-detail changes.
  7. Report the phishing attempt when the bank is secured.
    • If it was a text, forward it to 7726 (SPAM) and report it to the FTC.
    • If it was an email, you can forward it to [email protected] and report it to the FTC.
    • Use ReportFraud.ftc.gov for the FTC report.
  8. If money left the account, act through the bank first. Tell the bank the transfer or card activity was unauthorized and ask whether it can stop, reverse, or attempt to recall the payment. Ask what timing or notice steps apply to your account. For cyber-enabled fraud, you can also file a report with the FBI’s IC3.

What can wait

  • You do not need to decide right now whether to close the account permanently.
  • You do not need to confront the sender, argue with them, or “play along” to gather more proof.
  • You do not need to complete a full identity-theft recovery plan unless your bank says personal information was exposed or you see signs of wider misuse.
  • You do not need to review every old statement before the bank has helped secure current access and pending activity.

Important reassurance

These messages are designed to create urgency and make a link feel like the fastest safe option. Pausing and using a trusted contact route is the safer response, even if the message looks convincing.

Scope note

These are first steps for the initial scramble: stop the scam path, secure access, preserve basic evidence, and reduce possible losses. Later decisions, such as changing accounts, disputing transactions, or freezing credit, may need help from your bank, a consumer agency, or another qualified specialist.

Important note

This guide provides general information, not legal, financial, cybersecurity, or professional advice. Bank procedures and payment rules vary, so ask your bank’s fraud department what they can do, what they need from you, and what to document.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

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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