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I got scammed, can I sue

You paid someone and got nothing real in return. You were promised a product, a service, or a way out of a bind, and instead you were lied to. It feels like being made into a fool, and the anger is part of the damage. What you have is a set of options, in a particular order, and you can move through them without knowing all the law.

The honest reality

Not everything that feels like a scam is one in the legal sense. A real claim generally needs a false statement, an intent to deceive, and your reasonable reliance on it that caused a loss. A deal that went badly, a delay, or a seller who turned out to be incompetent is not enough.

Your real options, cheapest first

1. Free: complain to the regulator. Reporting to the FTC and, for online fraud, IC3, is free and often the fastest realistic path if the payment method has any recovery option, like a card chargeback or a wire recall window. the Federal Trade Commission and, for online fraud, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is where to start.
2. A demand letter. If you know who the person or business actually is, a written demand can still work, especially if they have a real identity and something to lose, but scammers using fake identities usually don't respond to anything.
3. Small claims court. If you can identify and locate the person who scammed you, small claims lets you sue without a lawyer, though collecting a judgment from someone who already showed they'd take your money is its own challenge. No lawyer required; see our pro se guide.
4. A lawsuit. A larger scam with an identifiable, findable defendant and real assets is worth a lawyer; a scam with an anonymous or judgment-proof scammer is usually better spent on prevention, reporting and freezing accounts, than litigation.

You don't need a lawyer to start

You are allowed to do this yourself

A regulator complaint, a demand letter, and small claims court are all built for people without lawyers. Read our pro se guide for how self-representation actually works, our small claims guide for that specific process, and if a lawyer's cost is the blocker at any stage, our can't-afford-a-lawyer triage covers every free and low-cost path, including legal aid.

Questions

The scammer won't answer me. Can I sue them?

You can, but suing is not the first step. Before filing, you need to identify the person or business by legal name and location, and you need proof of what was promised and what you paid. Without a real target and records, a lawsuit stalls before it starts.

What evidence do I need to keep?

Keep everything that shows the agreement and the payment: emails, text messages, receipts, bank and app transfers, and any ads or profiles. Preserve the original messages; do not edit them. Evidence is what turns your story into something a court can act on.

If I win, will I get my money back?

Winning a lawsuit gives you a judgment, which is a court's confirmation that you are owed the money. Collecting that money is a separate process, and whether it succeeds depends on where the scammer is, what they own, and what state rules apply. That is why before suing you check whether the person has anything worth collecting.

Not legal advice and not a law firm. We don't predict outcomes, and deadlines and dollar thresholds vary by state and by claim, check your state's page before you rely on any number. If you can get a lawyer or free legal aid, do: start at lsc.gov.