Document a scam conversation

1. Preserve first - before you block, before you delete

The most common mistake scam victims make is deleting the thread in anger or blocking the account in a way that erases the history. Do this first, even if you're not sure yet whether you'll report:

• Don't delete the conversation, and don't delete your own messages in it. Investigators and banks want both sides.
• Export it now. The export guide covers WhatsApp (easiest, any phone), Android SMS, and Messenger/Instagram step by step. Scam texts from unknown numbers are captured by the same Android SMS export as everything else.
• Then block and report the account on the platform.

Heads up for Messenger/Instagram: Meta's export can take hours to days to arrive, so request it immediately - especially if the scammer might delete their account, and note that messages they "unsend" are already gone from your copy.

2. Build the message exhibit

1. Open the free builder and upload your export. ExhibitKit immediately computes a SHA-256 fingerprint of the original file - printed on every page of the PDF, so anyone can later verify the file was never edited. That matters when a scammer (or their bank's lawyers) might claim messages were fabricated.
2. Select the relevant messages, and redact your own details - your account numbers, your address - using true redaction (the text is removed, not covered up). Leave the scammer's payment details visible: investigators want those.
3. Download the PDF. For a court case (small claims, civil suit), fill in the case details and use the included declaration template. For a police report, IC3/FTC complaint or bank dispute, the cover page, message numbering and hash are what make it look - and be - credible.

3. Assemble the rest of the packet

Alongside the message exhibit, gather:

• Screenshots of the scammer's profile (name, photo, handle, phone number) before it disappears.
• Payment records: bank statements, wire receipts, gift card numbers and receipts, crypto transaction IDs / wallet addresses.
• A one-page timeline in your own words: first contact, what they claimed, when you paid, when you realized.
• Any emails, links or websites they sent you - don't click them again; just record them.

4. Where to send it

• Your bank or card issuer's fraud team - first and fast. Recovery odds drop by the hour; a documented packet strengthens a dispute or recall request.
• Local police. File a report and ask for the report number - banks and insurers will ask for it.
• IC3.gov (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center) for any internet-enabled fraud in the U.S.
• ReportFraud.ftc.gov - the FTC's consumer fraud report.
• The platform (WhatsApp, Meta, your carrier) - report the account so it gets taken down.