I lost $5,000 to a fake bank fraud call — what do I do now?

First, call your bank's official fraud line (the number on your card or statement, never one from the call itself) and report the transfer as fraud — ask in writing whether Regulation E or a wire recall applies, since the window to claw back a wire closes fast. Second, file a report at the FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov) and the FBI's IC3 (ic3.gov); you'll need the report number for banks, credit bureaus, and insurance. Third, freeze your credit at all three bureaus and change your online banking password and PINs, since scammers who get this far often already have other account details. This kind of loss is rarely recoverable in full, but reporting fast is what occasionally gets a wire clawed back.

Educational verdict from documented scam patterns — not a live report. For a 0–100 risk score on the exact link in your hand, run the checker.