What To Do If You Think You've Been Targeted

If something feels wrong — a suspicious call, an unusual message, a conversation that made you uncomfortable — the steps you take in the next few hours matter enormously. Acting quickly and in the right sequence can mean the difference between a close call and a significant loss.

This guide walks you through exactly what to do, in order, starting with the most important step: call us first. From there, we will help you assess what happened and get the right people on the phone immediately.

If you can't reach us, your next call is to Schwab Alliance at 1-800-515-2157. They are staffed around the clock to lock down your account, scramble your credentials, document the incident, and establish a verbal password — the highest level of account security available. Schwab Alliance will also notify us directly so nothing falls through the cracks.

Once your accounts are secured, the next priority is your devices. If you logged into any financial account during the suspicious interaction, take your laptop, tablet, and phone to Best Buy's Geek Squad for a professional malware scan. Do not log back into any financial account until every device has been confirmed completely clean. Once they are, call Schwab Alliance back to reestablish your credentials and get back online securely.

From there, the guide walks you through changing your passwords and email address, notifying your bank directly using a number on your statement, and reporting the incident to Schwab at phishingschwab.com, the FTC at ftc.gov, and the FBI at IC3.gov.

Reporting matters beyond your own situation. It helps authorities track active scams, identify patterns, and protect others who may be targeted next.

Download this guide and keep it somewhere you can find it quickly. We hope you never need it.