What to keep in mind first
After a scam, people often stay quiet out of shame, anger or fear, or wait “a few more days to see”. But in digital payments, money moves from one account to another very quickly. The sooner your bank or mobile wallet knows, the better the chance of freezing the fraudster’s account.
To be honest: not all money can be recovered, and often none comes back. Still, reporting quickly, keeping evidence and making a written complaint improves your chances, can protect others, and helps if legal action follows later.
Say at 10 p.m. Jamal realises someone posing as “customer care” has moved Tk 20,000 out of his mobile wallet. Out of embarrassment he could wait until morning. Instead he immediately calls the official hotline shown in the wallet’s app, gives the transaction ID and changes his PIN; the next day he files a GD at the police station. The story is made up, and there is no guarantee of getting the money back, but this is how the chances are best.
Why it matters to an investor
- Time matters most: reported in the first few hours, the fraudster’s account may be frozen; after a few days, the money is usually gone.
- Stopping the damage spreading: once one password or PIN leaks, your other accounts are at risk too.
- Complaining in the right place makes action more likely: knowing which body handles what saves time.
- Avoiding a second scam: people who have been scammed once are targeted again by “we’ll recover your money” offers.
The first few hours
- Stop paying: send no more money, whatever the fraudster says (“pay a little more and you’ll get the rest back”).
- Tell your bank, card issuer or mobile wallet straight away: call the hotline printed on your card, in the app or on the official website. Give the date, time, amount, transaction ID and the number the money went to. Ask for the card or account to be blocked if needed.
- Change PINs and passwords: the account at risk first, then anywhere else you used the same password. Turn on two-factor sign-in for email and social media.
- If you installed an app or gave “remote access” on your phone, remove it, and if your SIM suddenly stops working, tell your mobile operator.
Keep evidence, then complain
Keep screenshots and copies of everything: SMS, chats, call logs, payment receipts, links to the website or page, the fraudster’s number and account name. Do not delete your chats with them. Write down what happened in your own words, with dates and times, while you still remember.
File a GD (general diary) at your nearest police station, or a case where needed; a GD creates an official record that helps later with your bank or in court. In some areas a GD can also be filed online. In an emergency, such as threats or blackmail, call the national emergency number 999.
Where to report what
- Bank, finance company or mobile wallet: first make a written complaint to the institution’s own complaints cell. If it is not resolved, you can go to Bangladesh Bank’s Customer Interest Protection Centre (CIPC); as of October 2026 its hotline is 16236 (office hours), alongside email and an online form.
- Shares, brokers or mutual funds: report it through BSEC’s complaints system.
- Paid online for goods that never came: you can complain to the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection on its hotline 16121.
- Hacking, blackmail or social-media fraud: at the police station, and through the official channels of Bangladesh Police’s cybercrime units.
Numbers, addresses and procedures can change. Before you complain, check the latest details on the relevant body’s official website (such as bb.org.bd or sec.gov.bd), and do not trust a “helpline” number you found on social media.
Don’t get scammed twice
After a scam, someone often gets in touch saying, “we can recover your lost money”, sometimes posing as a lawyer, a hacker or even a government official. There is one condition: a “fee” up front. The US Department of Justice has warned about these “recovery scams”: once the fee is paid, they vanish. Real police and regulators do not charge you a fee to recover your money.
Common mistakes
- Staying quiet out of shame, or reporting late. Delay means losing the chance to freeze the money.
- Paying again because the fraudster says “pay a little more and you’ll get the rest back”.
- Deleting chats and messages in anger or panic. They are your evidence.
- Trusting “money recovery” services or helplines found on social media.
If you are scammed, act fast: tell your bank or wallet and change your passwords first, then complain with evidence through official channels, and never pay a “recovery fee”.