What to do if you paid a scammer

An ordered response — bank, regulator, evidence, helpline — to give yourself the best chance of recovery and to stop the scam catching the next seafarer.

What it looks like

You've paid a 'recruitment fee' / 'visa fee' / 'training fee' and the recruiter has disappeared.

What to do if you have already been hit

1. Stop all further payments immediately. Block the recruiter on every channel.
2. Tell your bank. Many transfers can be recalled within 24–48 hours; some card payments can be reversed under chargeback rules.
3. Save every message, transfer receipt, contract draft, and email. Take screenshots before the recruiter disappears.
4. Report to your national manning-agency regulator (POEA/DMW, DG Shipping, etc.) — they keep watch-lists of known fraudsters.
5. Report to the national consumer / cybercrime authority.
6. Report to ISWAN SeafarerHelp (+44 800 012 1004) — they keep records of patterns and can warn the next seafarer.
7. If your passport / CDC was sent, report it as lost / stolen to the police and to your flag-state issuing authority.
8. Brief your family on what happened so you don't carry the stress alone.

Last verified 5 months ago