Last updated: October 30, 2026
Learning how to report a fraud quickly matters because the first hours after a scam are when banks, card issuers and investigators have the best chance to stop further losses. Reporting also helps authorities spot patterns, warn other people and build cases against the same scammers. This guide explains the official routes in the United States: the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), your bank or card issuer, and local police.
If you are in immediate danger, or someone is threatening you right now, call 911 or your local police first. Reporting a fraud online does not replace emergency help.
First steps in the first 24 hours
Do not wait to see whether the problem sorts itself out. Work through these steps as soon as you realize something is wrong:
- Stop contact with the scammer. Do not send more money, gift cards or cryptocurrency, and do not follow new instructions from the same person.
- Secure your accounts. Change the password on any account the scammer could reach, and use a new, strong password that you do not reuse elsewhere. Turn on two-factor authentication where it is available.
- Contact your bank or card issuer right away. Ask them to freeze or block the affected card or account, reverse the transaction if possible, and note the fraud on your record. The FTC advises contacting your financial institution immediately and asking about a refund or reversal.
- Save the evidence. Keep screenshots of messages, emails, receipts, phone numbers, account names, wallet addresses and payment confirmations. Do not delete the original messages, even if they are embarrassing.
- Write down a short timeline. Note when you were first contacted, what you were asked to do, what you paid and when, and what information you shared. You will need these details for every report you file.
- If you shared personal information, act on that too. If you gave out your Social Security number, the FTC points people to IdentityTheft.gov for a personal recovery plan. If you gave someone remote access to your computer or phone, update your security software, run a scan, remove anything it flags, and then change your passwords and turn on two-factor authentication.
How to report to the FTC, step by step
The FTC’s reporting site is ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC uses these reports to investigate cases, spot trends and educate the public, even though it cannot resolve every individual complaint. To file a report:
- Go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and choose to report now.
- Describe what happened in plain language: how you were contacted, what the scammer claimed, and what they asked you to do.
- Add the details you saved: amounts paid, payment method, dates, phone numbers, email addresses, websites and any account or wallet details.
- Submit the report and keep any confirmation or reference information it gives you. You may need it when you speak to your bank or the police.
One warning from the FTC itself is worth remembering: the real FTC will never threaten you or tell you to transfer or withdraw money to protect it. If someone claiming to be from the FTC does that, it is part of the scam.
How to report internet crime to IC3
For fraud that happened online, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov is the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime in the United States. Its intake is called File A Complaint. The IC3 says it cannot respond directly to every complaint because of the volume it receives, but complaints are used to support investigations and to identify crime patterns.
- Go to ic3.gov and select File A Complaint.
- Describe the incident: the website, app, email address or account involved, how you were contacted, and what happened.
- Include the financial details: how much you lost, how you paid, and any account, transaction or wallet information.
- Attach or describe the evidence you saved, and keep a copy of your complaint for your own records.
IC3 is the right route for online schemes such as phishing emails, fake shopping sites, investment scams promoted online, romance scams and account takeovers. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or local police instead of relying on an online form.
Reporting to your bank, card issuer and local police
Your bank or card issuer is often the fastest route to limiting losses, because it can freeze an account or card and, in some cases, reverse a payment. What to ask for depends on how you paid, and the FTC’s guidance on this point is specific:
- Bank transfer or Zelle: contact your bank or credit union immediately and ask it to reverse the transfer.
- Payment apps (such as Venmo, Cash App or PayPal): contact the app and ask it to reverse the payment.
- Wire transfer (such as Western Union or MoneyGram): contact the wire company and ask it to reverse the transfer.
- Credit card: contact the issuer. Federal law limits what you can lose for unauthorized use of a credit card, and the issuer can dispute the charge.
- Debit card: contact your bank promptly, because the rules and timing differ from credit cards.
- Gift card: contact the card issuer, keep the card and the receipt, and report the fraud to the issuer.
- Cryptocurrency: contact the exchange or ATM operator you used. Cryptocurrency does not have the same legal protections as card payments, so reversal is often difficult.
- Cash sent by mail: contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which the FTC lists at 1-877-876-2455, and ask about USPS Package Intercept.
You should also consider a local police report, especially if you know who scammed you, if a crime happened in your area, or if your bank or insurer asks for a police report number. This is also the route behind the secondary search phrase about how to report a scammer to the police online: in many places you can start by calling the police non-emergency line or using your local department’s online reporting system, but procedures vary by city and county, so check your local department’s website. Bring your timeline, receipts and the FTC or IC3 confirmation if you have one.
Reporting fraud in more than one place is normal. A police report, a bank dispute, an FTC report and an IC3 complaint serve different purposes, and one does not replace the others.
How do scammers get your information?
Scammers rarely need to break into a system to find a victim. Most of the time, the information comes from contact that looks ordinary, from data exposed elsewhere, or from details the victim is tricked into sharing:
- Phishing messages: emails, texts and calls that impersonate a bank, a delivery company, a government agency or a familiar business, and ask you to click a link or share a code.
- Fake websites and ads: lookalike shopping, investment or support sites that collect payment and contact details.
- Data breaches and leaks: personal details exposed in a breach or published online can be reused to make a later scam sound convincing. Recent large leaks, such as the one covered in our report on the DHS ‘Icepick’ leak, show how much personal information can circulate once it is exposed.
- Social media and public profiles: job titles, family details, travel plans and contact lists help scammers personalize a message.
- Remote-access tricks: a caller claiming to fix a computer problem persuades the victim to install software that gives the scammer control of the device.
- Unpatched software: outdated systems are easier to exploit, which is why security fixes matter. See, for example, our report on the critical PHP2Shell bug and why patching matters.
If you believe your information was exposed, change affected passwords, turn on two-factor authentication, and watch your accounts and credit reports for activity you do not recognize. The FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov service provides a recovery plan if your Social Security number was involved.
Red flags that a message is a scam
- Urgency and threats: act now or your account will be closed, or a threat of arrest or legal action.
- Unusual payment methods: gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers or payment apps for a supposed tax bill, fine or technical fix.
- Requests for codes: anyone asking for a one-time password, PIN or remote-access code is almost certainly not legitimate.
- Impersonation: a message claiming to be from a government agency, bank or well-known company, but sent from an unfamiliar address or number.
- Too-good-to-be-true offers: guaranteed investment returns, a prize you did not enter, or a job that pays unusually well for little work.
- Pressure to keep it secret: scammers often tell victims not to tell family, friends or the bank.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get my money back?
Sometimes, but there are no guarantees. It depends on how you paid and how quickly you act. Credit card disputes and prompt bank reports have the best chance; wire transfers, gift cards and cryptocurrency are much harder to reverse, and in many cases the money cannot be recovered. Report quickly, follow your bank’s dispute process, and be wary of anyone who promises to recover your money for an upfront fee — that is often a second scam.
Should I report a fraud to the police, the FTC or the FBI?
Ideally, report to the ones that fit your case: the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov for fraud in general, IC3 at ic3.gov for internet crime, your bank or card issuer for the payment itself, and local police if you need a report on record or the crime happened locally. The reports complement each other.
What if I gave a scammer my Social Security number?
Go to IdentityTheft.gov and follow its recovery plan, which the FTC provides for exactly this situation. Also consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with the credit bureaus, and monitor your accounts for unfamiliar activity.
What if I gave a scammer remote access to my computer?
Disconnect from the internet if you can, update your security software, run a full scan and remove anything it flags, then change your passwords — starting with email and banking — and turn on two-factor authentication.
Is there a separate route for whistleblowers reporting fraud?
Yes, in some cases. For example, our explainer on the WHIP fraud whistleblower reward covers a program for reporting certain kinds of fraud with a possible reward. That is different from reporting that you personally were scammed, which is what this guide covers.
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission, ReportFraud.ftc.gov — https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) — https://www.ic3.gov/
- Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice, What To Do if You Were Scammed — https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed
Related: you may also qualify for a reward — read Trump’s $30,000 fraud whistleblower reward, explained.
