Online fraud: what to do

If you have been charged for something, call your bank right away, on their 24-hour hotline, and block your card. Only then write a written complaint and contact the police. The first few hours decide everything. As long as the money has not been withdrawn from the recipient's account, the bank has a real chance of stopping it. Each passing day reduces this chance, and the chargeback period is calculated from the date of the operation, not from the date the fraud was discovered.

The first 24 hours

Follow these four steps in this order. The most common mistake is that people contact the scammer first or wait until morning and call the bank after the money has already been withdrawn.

1. Call your bank before you do anything else. The hotline is open at night. Tell the operator the date, time, and amount of the transaction, and ask for two things: a transaction attempt stop and a reference number. You will need this number for all subsequent documents.
2. Block the card and close the rest of the doors. Block the card from the application, change the Internet banking password, delete saved cards from suspicious sites, and check whether a new recipient has been added, the limit has not been increased, or mail forwarding has not been enabled. If you have installed AnyDesk, TeamViewer, or similar software on your computer, remove it as well.
3. Write a written complaint on the same day. A phone call is not enough. File a complaint at a branch or through the Internet bank and keep a copy with the registration number. Indicate the exact date and time, amount and currency, name of the recipient or store, last four digits of the card, and clearly state that the transaction was not made by you. According to the National Bank, the financial institution is obliged to consider the complaint within one month and provide you with a response in the same form.
4. File a police report. Call 112 or go to the nearest police station. Take the statement, screenshots, correspondence, numbers, and links with you. Ask for the case number and the investigator's contact information. Banks often ask for this number in the dispute file.

One warning: don't delete anything. Don't block the scammer until you've reviewed the conversation, and don't delete the text messages. This is the stuff that gets things done.

Three common scenarios

The chance of getting it back depends on how the money was withdrawn. All three cases involve different instruments.

Scenario	How is it?	What are the chances of returning?	First step
Deduct from card	They obtain card details through a phishing link or fake store, then call and ask for a one-time code. There are also repeated charges from the saved card.	The highest of the three, if you apply quickly and don't share the code with anyone. This is where chargeback actually works.	Hotline, card block and written complaint within 24 hours.
Fake investment platform	Advertisement or call, polite broker and beautiful cabinet with winning numbers. You deposit the money yourself, and they ask for an additional fee when you request a withdrawal. Often they also log in with a remote access program.	Low, because the operation is authorized by you. A small chance remains only for card payments that have not yet expired.	Stop all further transfers, remove remote access, and contact the bank and police the same day.
Crypto	Transfer to wallet, p2p transaction or trader account. Once a transaction is confirmed on the network, it cannot be reversed.	The lowest. There is no chargeback here, the only way is to investigate and freeze the account by the exchange if the money was deposited on a regulated exchange.	Save the transaction hash and wallet address, notify exchange support and the police.

How does chargeback work?

A chargeback does not mean that the bank is willingly refunding your money. It is a dispute between your bank and the merchant's bank, under Visa and Mastercard rules. It only works on card transactions, not account-to-account transfers, crypto, or cash.

• 0-2 days. Your complaint to the bank. The sooner the better, as part of the amount may still be unprocessed.
• The time frame you have to make it. International systems typically allow for a dispute to be opened within 120 days of the transaction or expected delivery date. Some fraud codes have a narrower window, so don't count on the full 120 days.
• 30-45 days. The merchant has a response time, about 30 days for Visa, 45 days for Mastercard. If they contest the dispute, the case moves to the pre-arbitration stage, adding a few more weeks.
• One month for your bank. At the request of the National Bank, the bank must respond to your complaint within one month, even if the dispute is still ongoing in the system.
• Real deadline. In practice, from one to three months. More in complex cases.

If you are satisfied with the bank's response, the matter is closed here. If not, the next instance is the National Bank of Georgia's Consumer Rights page , hotline 032 2 406 406 and email cp@nbg.gov.ge. The National Bank also operates a Dispute Resolution Commission for payment transactions: the review is free of charge and a decision is made within 90 calendar days, or in difficult cases within an additional 30 days. Its decision can be appealed in court.

When is the money not returned?

You need to know this in advance so that you don't spend months in false hope and focus your energy where it will yield results.

• When you issue a one-time code. The SMS code or confirmation in the application means to the bank that you confirmed the operation. The bank almost always loses such a dispute. The case still remains with the police, but chargeback rarely helps here.
• When you transfer money voluntarily. Investment platform, seller found on social media, advance payment to a private person's account. The transfer is not a free purchase, so the dispute instrument does not apply to it.
• Cryptocurrency transfer. The network technically does not allow for a refund. The only chance is if the money was deposited on a regulated exchange and we manage to freeze the account.
• When the deadline has passed. When you notice the deduction after half a year, the window for a Baratuli dispute is already closed.
• When the money has already been withdrawn. An organized scheme spreads the money across several accounts and returns it within hours, often in another country. Such a chain is followed by an investigation, and return is an exception.
• When you get scammed for the second time. The lost money recovery agency that demands an advance payment is the second wave of the same scam. The National Bank and the police do not offer the case as a paid service to anyone.

We do not promise to return your money. No one can promise that, not even a bank or a lawyer. What is possible is to present your side as strongly as possible in the days while the case still has prospects.

How can I help you?

Our role is technical and part of the cybersecurity direction . We prepare a package of evidence for the bank and the police in such a way that the reviewer does not have any additional questions and the case is not stopped due to formalities.

• Chronology of the incident. One document where all dates, times, amounts, and currencies match. The bank complaint and the police report are based on the same facts.
• Digital footprint capture. A copy of the phishing site before it goes down, complete links, email headers, domain and hosting details, transaction hashes, and wallet addresses.
• Take screenshots properly. With the address bar, date, and full message visible, without any cuts. A cut screenshot is often considered weak evidence.
• Clean the device. Remove remote access programs, update passwords and two-factor authentication, check for email forwarding and suspicious sessions to prevent a second hack.
• Business Prevention. If money has been withdrawn from a company account, we set up a payment approval process, check the website and email, and train employees to recognize fake invoices and letters sent on behalf of their supervisor.

Collecting material on the first day is much more effective than collecting it a week later.