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Steam · Independent guide

Steam Items Stolen From Your Inventory? Lock Down First, Then Report

Concept illustration of an inventory with a missing item slot.

Start by securing the account, because whoever took the items may still have access. Then report the scammer's profile and contact Steam Support as the owner. Be ready for an honest answer: Steam's stated policy is that it does not restore items that left an account, with one narrow exception for recent Counter-Strike 2 trades.

What to do in the first hour

We never ask for your password, Steam Guard codes or trade links; everything happens in your own Steam account.

Concept illustration, not a screenshot of the recovery process.

On this page

Official routes only

Every step points to Steam's own tools and Steam Support at help.steampowered.com.

Nothing collected

We never ask for passwords, Steam Guard codes, API keys or inventory access.

Honest about limits

We quote Steam's item policy as it reads today, including what it will not do.

Why securing the account comes before anything else

No countdown here, just three reasons the first hour matters.

  • If someone else got in, they may still hold a session and can take what is left.
  • Some pending trades can still be cancelled. Counter-Strike 2 trades use Trade Protection instead of a trade hold.
  • Counter-Strike 2 Trade Protection lets the owner reverse eligible trades only within 7 days.

Even if someone changed your email, password and phone, Steam says the rightful owner can recover the account through Steam Support.

See what to do first

Five steps, in this order

Secure the account first, then deal with the items, then contact Steam Support as the owner.

If you can no longer sign in, start with the Help, I can't sign in option on help.steampowered.com and come back to these steps once you are in.

  1. Lock the account down

    Sign out everywhere, change the password, secure the linked email and revoke any Web API key you didn't create.

  2. Check Trade History

    Look for Trade Protected Counter-Strike 2 trades from the last 7 days in your Trade History.

  3. Cancel what is still pending

    Cancel trade offers and Market listings you did not create while they are still on hold.

  4. Report the profile

    Open the scammer's Steam profile, choose Report Player and describe the trade.

  5. Write it down, then contact Steam Support

    Note dates, items and profile URLs, then use the My items are missing or were stolen topic.

How API key theft works

Will you get the items back? It depends on what happened

Item recovery depends on the type of transaction and the tools Steam makes available.

Counter-Strike 2 items traded away in the last 7 days, shown with a Trade Protected shield

What helps

Regain control first, then start a reversal from Trade History within the 7 days.

What can get in the way

A reversal covers all your Trade Protected trades from the previous 7 days and applies a 30-day trade and Community Market restriction to your account.

Items still in a pending trade or Market listing on hold

What helps

Secure the account, then cancel the pending trade offer or listing yourself.

What can get in the way

Waiting until the hold ends, or confirming anything you did not start.

Items from other games traded away, or older Counter-Strike 2 trades

What helps

Report the profile so Steam can act against the scammer's accounts.

What can get in the way

Steam says it does not restore items that left accounts, including through trades.

Items sold on the Community Market and the Wallet funds spent

What helps

Lock the account down and describe the sales in your Steam Support request.

What can get in the way

Steam's restoration policy covers Market sales too, so sold items are not returned.

Items vanished from the inventory and you made no trade

What helps

Check for a ban notice, then use the Items Were Deleted help path.

What can get in the way

Steam says deleted items, for example after a VAC or trade ban, are not restored.

These are conditions to consider, not predictions of recovery. Follow the options and requirements the platform shows for your account.

Scope & boundaries

What this guide helps with

  • Show the lock-down order Steam itself lists for a compromised account
  • Explain how to report the scammer's profile and what Steam does with it
  • Point you to Steam Support, and to police or your bank if real money was lost

Outside this guide’s scope

  • Offer or recommend any paid item recovery service
  • Help you hack the scammer's account back or take their items
  • Track down, expose or dox the person who took your items

Only you and Steam can act on your inventory. Anyone who promises to return your skins for a fee is almost certainly running another scam.

A few details worth knowing

Will Steam Support give me my stolen items back?

Steam's stated policy is that it does not restore items that have left an account, including through trades, Market sales or gifts. The one tool for owners is the Counter-Strike 2 trade reversal for Trade Protected trades within 7 days.

What is the difference between a scam and a hijack on Steam?

Steam calls it a scam when you were tricked into completing a trade yourself, and a hijack when someone took over your account or computer. After a hijack, secure or recover the account first; after a scam, report the profile.

How do I report the person who took my items?

Open their Steam profile, use the menu at the top right and choose Report Player, then describe what happened. Steam says a profile report is better than a support ticket for this, and it messages you if action is taken.

Someone offers to recover my skins for a fee. Is that real?

No. Only you, through Steam's own tools, and Steam Support can act on an inventory, and Steam Support never contacts you through chat or Discord. Paying a recovery service or a scammer usually leads to more demands.

I paid real money outside Steam for items I never got. What now?

Steam lists money-for-items deals as scams it does not cover. Contact the payment service you used, and for gift card fraud Steam points to local police or, in the U.S., the FTC.

Go a little deeper

Official guidance

Check the platform’s current instructions and the options shown for your own account.