For a U.S. consumer, the right reporting route depends on what happened. Use econsumer.gov for an international scam or cross-border fraud complaint. If a phone scam caused a financial loss or you can identify the caller or company, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If it was an unwanted call with no loss, use DoNotCall.gov. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also accepts unwanted-call and text complaints, including reports involving international numbers, but it does not resolve individual complaints.
These are U.S. channels. Other countries use different regulators, consumer-protection agencies and police procedures. A number that looks foreign does not prove where the caller was located because caller ID can be spoofed.
Which reporting route fits your situation?
| What happened | Primary U.S. route | Purpose | Important limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| International scam or cross-border fraud | econsumer.gov | Shares a consumer complaint with an international consumer-protection network | A complaint does not guarantee an investigation, recovery or a response |
| Phone scam involving money, personal information or useful caller/company details | ReportFraud.ftc.gov | Reports fraud information to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and its law-enforcement partners | Submitting a report does not itself stop the caller or return funds |
| Unwanted call with no financial loss | DoNotCall.gov | Records an unwanted-call complaint and supports enforcement and call-labeling work | It is not a fraud-investigation or reimbursement service |
| Unwanted call or text, including an international number | FCC consumer complaint form | Provides information for policy and possible enforcement | The FCC says it does not resolve individual unwanted-call or text complaints |
| Money or personal information was lost | FBI, FTC, state attorney general or local police, plus your bank or payment provider | Creates additional victim and financial-fraud reports and may allow payment intervention | Use contact details from trusted official sites, not from the unexpected message |
You can use more than one appropriate channel when the facts justify it. The FTC and FCC routes are not interchangeable: one primarily captures fraud and consumer reports, while the other records unwanted communications for regulatory intelligence.
How do I report an international scam?
Start with econsumer.gov when the incident involves an international scam, a cross-border seller or service, or a suspected fraud connected with another country. The FTC describes econsumer.gov as a partnership of consumer-protection agencies around the world. Your complaint can be made available for agencies to analyze patterns and targets across borders.
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Describe what you personally observed: the date, time, communication method, number or account used, what the sender requested, what you sent, and any loss. If you believe the sender was overseas, label that as an inference unless the evidence establishes it. A foreign-looking number, accent or language is not proof of the caller’s physical location.
Use the official econsumer.gov site rather than a link supplied by the person who contacted you. Keep the confirmation or submission record with your other evidence.
Where should a phone scam be reported?
If you lost money or have information about the caller
The FTC directs people who lost money in a phone scam, or who have information about the caller or company, to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Include the payment method, amount, date, recipient details and the claims made during the call. If the caller gave a callback number or a different number to use, include that number even if it differs from caller ID.
If there was no loss and you simply want to report the call
For an unwanted call that did not cause a financial loss, the FTC points consumers to DoNotCall.gov. The FTC says these reports help law-enforcement partners track callers. Reported phone numbers may also be shared with industry partners working on call-blocking and labeling solutions.
DoNotCall.gov is not a substitute for ReportFraud.ftc.gov when you gave a caller money, credentials or other sensitive information. Choose the fraud route when there is a loss or actionable information about the suspected scam.
Can I report an international number to the FCC?
Yes. The FCC accepts complaints about unwanted calls and texts, including communications that display an international number. Select the issue and sub-issue that best match the event. If the number you received does not fit the form’s expected format, place the complete number and an explanation in the “Additional Information” field.
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The FCC’s complaint process is a regulatory information channel, not a case-resolution service. The agency states that it does not resolve individual unwanted-call or text complaints, although complaints can inform policy decisions and potential enforcement actions against parties that violate FCC rules.
Submit the FCC complaint in addition to, not instead of, an FTC fraud report when money, account access or personal information was involved.
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Make the reporting decision and the damage-control decision at the same time. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau advises scam victims to contact the FBI, FTC, state attorney general or local police, using trusted websites and telephone numbers. It also advises contacting your bank or payment provider promptly when a transaction or account is involved.
- Contact the financial institution or payment service. Ask whether a transfer, card payment, wire, gift-card transaction or account change can be stopped, recalled or flagged. The outcome depends on the payment method and timing; a complaint is not a promise of reimbursement.
- Secure exposed accounts. Change passwords from a trusted device, enable multifactor authentication where available and tell the provider which information was disclosed.
- File the appropriate reports. Use ReportFraud.ftc.gov for the phone scam, econsumer.gov for the international dimension, and the FCC form for unwanted calls or texts.
- Report locally when appropriate. A local police report or state attorney general complaint may be useful for identity theft, coercion, a substantial loss or evidence needed by a financial institution.
Do not call back a number supplied by the suspected scammer to “verify” the complaint. Find each agency’s contact details independently.
What information should I preserve before filing?
Do not delete the original message or call record until you have recorded the details. The FTC specifically recommends keeping four call facts:
- the number that received the call;
- the number shown on caller ID;
- any number the caller told you to call;
- the exact date and time, if known.
Also preserve the message text, email headers, screenshots, voicemails, payment receipts, cryptocurrency wallet addresses, account names, web addresses and the caller’s exact instructions. Keep files in their original form and make a separate copy for uploading.
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Separate observation from interpretation. “The display showed +44…” is an observation. “The caller was in the United Kingdom” is an inference that may be wrong because caller ID can be spoofed. This distinction makes the report more reliable and avoids accusing a legitimate carrier or person without evidence.
A practical reporting sequence
1. Classify the incident
Decide whether the core event was an international consumer scam, a phone scam involving a loss or useful intelligence, an unwanted call or text without a loss, or several of these at once. Classification determines which forms to submit.
2. Preserve and organize evidence
Write a short timeline while events are fresh. Record when contact began, every number or account used, what was requested, what you did, and when you noticed the deception. Do not edit screenshots to remove identifying details; explain redactions in a note if privacy requires them.
3. Submit the FTC report
Use ReportFraud.ftc.gov for a phone scam involving money, credentials or information about the caller. Use econsumer.gov for the international or cross-border complaint. Answer form questions precisely and identify uncertain facts as uncertain.
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4. Submit an FCC complaint when the communications themselves matter
File an FCC unwanted-call or text complaint when repeated calls, spoofing, robocalls or texts are part of the problem. Put an international number that does not fit the form in “Additional Information,” together with the displayed format and the date and time.
5. Notify financial and local authorities
If money or identity information was exposed, contact the bank or payment provider immediately and use the FBI, state attorney general or local police channels recommended by the CFPB. Record report numbers and the name of any institution that gave you recovery instructions.
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What happens after a report?
FTC complaints can enter Consumer Sentinel, a secure database available to law-enforcement partners. The FTC says complaint data helps agencies conduct investigations, bring lawsuits, prevent international scams and identify trends, practices and targets. That is a system-level benefit, not a guarantee that an individual complaint will trigger an investigation.
The FCC likewise says its complaint process supplies information for policy decisions and potential enforcement. It does not resolve the individual unwanted-call or text complaint. Neither agency promises to identify the caller, stop every future contact or recover a payment.
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Keep your submission confirmations and be cautious of anyone who contacts you claiming to be an investigator and demanding a fee to release recovered money. An official report should never require you to send funds to obtain a refund.
Does a foreign number prove the scam came from another country?
No. The FTC warns that scammers can make any name or number appear on caller ID. A displayed country code may belong to a spoofed identity, a compromised account, a legitimate person traveling, or a service routing traffic through another country. Report the number exactly as displayed, but describe the geographic origin as “suspected” unless independent evidence confirms it.
Cross-border responsibility can involve the victim’s country, the numbering country, the carrier that originated or terminated traffic, and the location of a service provider. A consumer complaint is useful even when you cannot identify which jurisdiction is responsible.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should readers outside the United States do?
The U.S. routes above should not be treated as a worldwide directory. Start with the country where you live and consult its official telecommunications regulator, consumer-protection authority and police reporting service. If money moved through a bank or payment service in another country, ask that institution which fraud-reporting channel applies.
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International telecom rules are not uniform. ITU-T Recommendation E.371, published in February 2026, addresses “deemed impermissible traffic,” including forms of international traffic manipulation. It explains that what counts as impermissible is determined country by country and discusses cooperation between operators and Member States. It is policy context, not a consumer complaint form and not a substitute for national law.
When contacting a non-U.S. authority, provide the same evidence package: receiving number, displayed caller ID, callback number, timestamp, message or voicemail, payment details and a factual timeline. Ask whether the agency wants the original files, translations or a local police reference number.
Common reporting scenarios
A call displayed a foreign country code and demanded gift cards
Preserve the caller-ID number and any callback number. Report the phone scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, submit the international complaint at econsumer.gov, and contact the gift-card issuer immediately. An FCC complaint can add the unwanted-call information, but it will not replace the fraud report.
A text promised a customs refund but you paid nothing
Keep the message and sender details. Use DoNotCall.gov for the unwanted text if no loss occurred, and use the FCC complaint form if you want the communication recorded for regulatory purposes. Use econsumer.gov when the suspected scheme is clearly cross-border.
You gave a caller your bank login
Call the bank through a trusted number, change credentials and report the phone scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Add econsumer.gov for the international aspect and consider the FBI, state attorney general or local police through independently verified contact details.
How can I reduce repeat calls after reporting?
FTC guidance supports blocking unwanted calls and filtering text messages. Carrier or handset filtering may warn about suspected spam, block numbers or label calls. These tools are optional prevention measures: they do not submit a complaint, establish who called, or guarantee that every fraudulent call will be stopped.
Review the privacy and data settings of any filtering service, check whether it works on your operating system and carrier, and make sure legitimate calls can still reach you. Keep reporting new incidents even if a filter blocks them, because a blocked call can still provide useful trend information when the number and timestamp are recorded.
Quick Recap
Key points to remember
- Use econsumer.gov for a U.S. complaint about an international scam or cross-border fraud.
- Use ReportFraud.ftc.gov when a phone scam caused a loss or you have information about the caller or company.
- Use DoNotCall.gov for an unwanted call without a loss.
- Use the FCC complaint form for unwanted calls and texts, placing an incompatible international number in “Additional Information.”
- Preserve the receiving number, caller-ID number, callback number and exact date and time, plus the original messages and payment records.
- Contact financial institutions quickly after a loss, and use trusted official contact details.
- Caller ID does not prove the caller’s country, and no reporting channel guarantees an investigation, enforcement action or repayment.
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