What to Do in the First 24 Hours After You've Been Scammed

If you are wondering what to do after being scammed in Tanzania, start with three actions: stop further payments, contact your payment provider and preserve the evidence. Act as soon as you notice the problem. You do not need a complete investigation before asking your provider to secure the account.

Report even if more than 24 hours have passed. Recovery is uncertain, but further losses may still be preventable.

1. Stop payments and contact the provider immediately

Do not send another payment, approve another prompt or follow instructions from the person who took the money. End the call if someone is pressuring you to act.

For mobile money, call 100 from your network and ask customer care to handle suspected fraud. TCRA identifies 100 as the provider customer-service channel in its short-code guidance. This is an entry point to assistance, not a guarantee of a dedicated fraud hotline or reversal.

For a bank transfer or card payment, use the number inside your official banking app, on your card or on the bank’s website. Avoid contact details supplied by the suspected scammer.

Tell the provider the amount, transaction reference, recipient and time. Ask whether the payment can be traced, recalled or restricted, and whether your account needs blocking. Record the complaint reference. Do not delay this call while organising screenshots.

2. Secure the phone and accounts

If you disclosed a mobile-money PIN, change it through the official service. Never read a PIN or one-time code to a caller, including someone claiming to help recover money.

If you shared a password, change it and any reused passwords from a trusted device. Secure the linked email account and review active sessions. If your SIM suddenly loses service, contact the network from another phone or visit its official shop to check for an unauthorised SIM replacement.

If someone can remotely control your phone, disconnect that device from the internet and use another device to contact the provider. Preserve evidence before a reset or removal of suspicious software where possible, but do not leave ongoing access open merely to collect more proof.

3. Save evidence before it disappears

Capture the conversation before blocking the account or leaving a group. Keep original messages and transaction confirmations. Back them up somewhere only you or a trusted helper can access.

Prioritise:

• transaction IDs, payment receipts, amounts, dates and times;
• receiving telephone numbers, account details and displayed recipient names;
• full chat screenshots showing the account identity and sequence;
• profile links, usernames, website addresses and the original offer;
• call logs, emails and documents already received; and
• provider complaint references and replies.

Do not crop away identifying details in the only copy. Keep any edited copy separate. A copied display name is a lead, not proof of the person’s identity.

Rumours, insults and forwarded accusations add little to a transaction record. Do not spend hours investigating strangers online before making the initial report. Never post your full receipts, identity documents or account details publicly.

4. Write a short timeline

While events are fresh, record how contact began, what was promised, what you paid and when you realised something was wrong. Include any PIN disclosure, suspicious app installation or remote access.

Use a simple summary: “On [date/time], I sent TZS [amount] to [recipient] through [provider]. Transaction reference: [reference]. The person said [promise]. I contacted customer care at [time], reference [number].”

Separate what you personally observed from what someone told you. Keep copies so you can give consistent information to the provider and police.

5. Report to police and TCRA

For criminal fraud, TCRA’s official guidance directs victims to a police station to register the incident, obtain an RB number and have an investigator assigned. Explain that the incident involves online or mobile-money fraud and ask about referral to the appropriate cybercrime investigator.

Bring the timeline, identification and evidence. Keep the RB number and investigator’s contact details. If you encounter a problem registering the report, TCRA advises raising it with the station head or the next police level.

Also report the telephone number through TCRA’s SMS process: send UTAPELI to 15040, then follow the prompt to submit the number involved. Keep the response. This does not replace the police report or your provider’s fraud complaint.

For clarification, TCRA publishes 0800 008 272 and dawatilahuduma@tcra.go.tz. Open the official guidance directly if contact details change.

6. Use the BoT complaints route when relevant

If a bank, payment provider or other BoT-supervised institution mishandles your complaint, keep its written response and reference number. The Bank of Tanzania consumer-protection page directs consumers to exhaust the institution’s internal complaints process before escalating to BoT.

Use the complaint documents or system linked from that page. For help locating the appropriate channel, BoT publishes +255 22 2232541 as a general contact number. Ask for financial consumer complaints guidance; it is not an emergency payment-blocking line.

Do not wait for that escalation process before notifying the provider or police about suspected fraud. Criminal reporting and a complaint about an institution’s handling of the matter serve different purposes.

What recovery figures actually mean

The NBS report using Tanzania Police Force data records TZS 5,345,019,866 lost across 4,091 reported financial transaction fraud offences in 2024. The recovered amount was TZS 254,085,600, approximately 4.8%.

That is the share of reported money recovered in the statistics. It is not the probability that your particular case will succeed, and it does not describe every scam type separately.

Reporting can still give investigators useful transaction links, help providers identify suspicious activity and document your loss. Nobody can honestly promise recovery from these figures.

Do not pay a second scammer

Do not pay a “release fee”, “clearance charge” or fresh deposit demanded to unlock your money. Treat unsolicited offers of guaranteed recovery for an upfront payment as another warning sign.

Contact organisations through independently verified channels. If someone claims to be your investigator or provider, check through the contact you already recorded. Do not share new security codes or install an app at their request.

Frequently asked questions

Should I contact the provider or police first?

Contact the provider immediately to seek account protection and payment tracing. Then report to police promptly; do not wait for a refund decision.

Does reporting to 15040 replace a police report?

No. It reports the telephone number through TCRA’s process. Register the criminal incident with police and keep the RB number.

What if I deleted the messages?

Report anyway. Preserve remaining receipts, call logs and account records. Tell the investigator what is missing rather than recreating messages.

Can my provider guarantee a reversal?

No. It depends on the payment, where the funds have moved and applicable procedures. Ask for a case reference and a clear response.

Is it too late after 24 hours?

No. Report as soon as possible, even later. Preserve evidence and secure any account that may remain compromised.

For prevention, read 8 Signs an Investment Offer Is a Scam and the fixed daily returns explainer.