11+fraud-response

Preserve Evidence

Identify the evidence that must be preserved when fraud is discovered — transaction records, messages, screenshots, and timestamps — because this evidence is the foundation of the investigation and reversal process.

In this lesson

Preserve Evidence is part of Responding to Financial Fraud. This preview shows how fraud-response connects to everyday family decisions such as earning, saving, spending choices, goals, approvals, or parent-guided money conversations inside Progress Penguin.

Think about this money choice

Dayo receives a fraudulent transfer into his account and the fraudster asks him to forward the money elsewhere.

How it works

When a fraudulent transaction is discovered, the evidence available in the days immediately after discovery is the most useful for investigation and reversal. Evidence includes: transaction records and dates, any communications received (texts, emails, calls from unknown numbers), screenshots of any suspicious messages, and records of what actions were taken and when. Preserving this evidence before it is deleted, overwritten, or forgotten significantly improves the outcome of any investigation.

Apply it to a real decision

Real-life money moment: Dayo receives a fraudulent transfer into his account and is contacted by the fraudster asking him to forward the funds elsewhere. He is confused about what to do. The most important immediate action is to preserve everything: screenshot the messages, note the account numbers involved, preserve the transaction records, and contact his bank before any money moves further. Evidence preserved in the first hours is the evidence that resolves the case.

Activity preview

Try one real money action

Open Tasks and submit proof for one task, or open Requests and make a deposit request. Parent approval can happen later.

Quiz preview

Preserving evidence after financial fraud means:

Keeping all records of suspicious messages, transactions, and communications before they disappear

Only keeping records if the bank specifically requests you do so during the investigation

Evidence is automatically preserved by your bank so no personal action is needed

Deleting suspicious messages since they contain your personal data and should be removed

Which evidence is most valuable when reporting and investigating financial fraud?

Your credit score history since it shows when the fraud began affecting your finances

Screenshots of suspicious messages, fraudulent transaction details, and any communications with the fraudster

Your general account history from the previous 12 months to provide context

Only the most recent bank statement since that contains the fraudulent transactions