Report Fraud (2024)

FAQs

Is it worth reporting a scammer? ›

It is generally best to file a police report on a scammer, reach out to your bank, and file a complaint with the appropriate federal agency as soon as possible after you have been scammed. To file a police report for a scam, you will need make a call to or visit the fraud division of your local police department.

Contact the FBI at (202) 324-3000, or online at www.fbi.gov or tips.fbi.gov. Contact the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-HHS-TIPS, or online at www.oig.hhs.gov . Contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) online at www.ic3.gov.

When you report a scam to the FTC, investigators use your information to build cases against scammers. Other law enforcement agencies can see the reports, too, and use them to further their own investigations. Your story makes a difference.

The FTC uses reports like yours to investigate and bring cases against fraud, scams, and bad business practices, but can't resolve reports on behalf of individuals. But we will share your report with more than 2,800 law enforcement partners.

Legal Recourse and Justice: The police can initiate investigations that may lead to arrests and legal action against the perpetrators. This not only brings about justice for victims but also serves as a deterrent for would-be scammers.

Tracing a scammer demands persistence, leveraging online resources, and often legal assistance. Initiating with digital footprints like email addresses or phone numbers, employing reverse search tools, and reporting to authorities can unearth valuable leads.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has the power to investigate and remove scam websites. It's free to report a suspicious website to us and it only takes a minute. By reporting suspicious websites, you can help us stop cyber criminals and protect others online.

The information you submit to IC3 makes all the difference. Combined with other data, it allows the FBI to investigate reported crimes, track trends and threats, and, in some cases, even freeze stolen funds.

In your fraud investigation, it's essential to include a thorough review of records, documents, emails, personnel files, and other relevant evidence, ensuring confidentiality, adherence to protocols, and separation of facts from opinions or assumptions.

Contact the company or bank that issued the credit card or debit card. Tell them it was a fraudulent charge. Ask them to reverse the transaction and give you your money back.

Can the bank see who used my card online? ›

Can You Track Someone Who Used Your Credit Card Online? No. However, if you report the fraud in a timely manner, the bank or card issuer will open an investigation. Banks have a system for investigating credit card fraud, including some standard procedures.

The IRS Whistleblower Program rewards whistleblowers by paying 15 to 30% of government recoveries that result from the whistleblower's reporting to the IRS Whistleblower Program.

The FTC cannot resolve individual complaints, but it can provide information about what steps to take. The FTC says that complaints can help it and its law enforcement partners detect patterns of fraud and abuse, which may lead to investigations and stopping unfair business practices.

These cases can involve fraud, scams, identity theft, false advertising, privacy violations, anti-competitive behavior and more. The Legal Library has detailed information about cases we have brought in federal court or through our internal administrative process, called an adjudicative proceeding.

Your report is shared with more than 2,800 law enforcers. We can't resolve your individual report, but we use reports to investigate and bring cases against fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Read our Privacy Act statement to learn more about how we collect and use your information.

The Internal Revenue Service's whistleblower office incentivizes people to report tax evasion and other tax law violations. The IRS Whistleblower Program rewards whistleblowers by paying 15 to 30% of government recoveries that result from the whistleblower's reporting to the IRS Whistleblower Program.

If you paid by card or PayPal

If you've paid for something you haven't received, you might be able to get your money back. Your card provider can ask the seller's bank to refund the money. This is known as the 'chargeback scheme'. If you paid by debit card, you can use chargeback however much you paid.

When you report a scam, the FTC can use the information to build cases against scammers, spot trends, educate the public, and share data about what is happening in your community. If you experienced a scam — or even spotted one, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.