What to Do If You Clicked a Phishing Link

October 21, 2025

The FTC has an excellent article about things you can do if you think you've been victimized. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed - here's a summary, just in case it goes away for any reason.

What to Do If You Clicked a Phishing Link (or Think You Might Have Been Scammed)

You clicked a link that looked innocent — maybe an “urgent message” from your bank, a delivery notification, or a login prompt that felt legit. Now you’re wondering: “Did I just fall for a scam?” Don’t panic. Here’s what to do next.

1. If You Paid a Scammer

Even if you didn’t intend to pay — clicking a phishing link often leads to a scammer requesting payment or account access. If that happened:

• Contact the company or bank linked to the payment method (credit card, debit card) and say the charge was fraudulent. Ask for a reversal.
• If you used a gift card, contact the gift-card issuer and say it was used in a scam. Keep the card and the receipt.
• If you sent a wire transfer (for example via Western Union, MoneyGram, etc.), contact that transfer company immediately and ask them to try to reverse it.
• If you paid with cryptocurrency, unfortunately reversals are generally not possible — treat it as gone, but still contact the platform you used and tell them the transaction was fraudulent.
• If you sent cash through mail, contact the United States Postal Inspection Service (or the appropriate delivery service) right away and ask if the package can be intercepted.

2. If You Gave a Scammer Your Personal Information

Maybe the phishing link asked for your social security number, login credentials, or bank details. If so:

• Did you give your SSN? Visit the IdentityTheft.gov website to find steps on monitoring your credit and protecting your identity.
• ScamFerret always recommends a credit freeze so thieves can't open new cards in your name
• Did you give a username and password? Change it right away — for that account and others that use the same login. Create a strong, unique password. Checkout our article on modern password hygiene.

3. If a Scammer Has Access to Your Computer or Phone

If the link you clicked gave the scammer remote access (for example via “allow remote support” prompts) or you suspect malware:

• If your computer was accessed: Update your security software (or Operating System), run a complete scan, and delete anything flagged. Then take steps to protect your personal information (passwords, financial accounts, etc.).
• If your phone number or mobile account was compromised: Contact your mobile service provider to regain control of the number, change your account password, and review your financial accounts for unauthorized changes.

4. Report the Scam

Even if you were only almost scammed (you clicked but didn’t enter info) it’s still valuable to report it.

• Go to the FTC’s official fraud reporting site: reportfraud.ftc.gov and submit details. Reporting helps the FTC spot trends and build cases against scammers. (This form is currently down during the government shutdown)
• (Optional) Check for your state or local region’s data on scams to see what other people are reporting.

Final Thoughts

Clicking a phishing link isn’t the end of the world — but it is a warning. The faster you act, the less likely the damage will get out of hand. Whether you’ve paid someone, given away login info, or simply clicked and closed the link — follow the steps above: act on payment recovery, change passwords, clean your devices, and report the incident if you can!