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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchIn the United States, report cyber-enabled fraud to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) as soon as possible. You can also report consumer scams to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or contact local police first. Preserve the original records: IC3 does not accept evidence attachments, so keep them securely in case investigators ask for them.
Knowing where to report and what to keep can make the next steps clearer. An agency report is not a substitute for contacting a bank or payment service about a transaction, and no report guarantees a response, investigation, or recovery of money.
Choose the right reporting route
The best route depends on whether the incident is an emergency, a cyber-enabled crime, or a consumer scam. These channels serve different purposes; a report to one does not replace an urgent call to emergency services or a prompt call to a bank or payment provider.
| Situation | Where to report | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate danger or emergency | Call 911 or contact local police. | Address immediate safety before completing an online complaint. |
| Ongoing crime, threat to life, or national-security threat | Use the FBI’s urgent channels, including tips.fbi.gov or a local FBI field office. | The FBI distinguishes urgent threats from routine online fraud reporting. |
| Cyber-enabled fraud or an online crime | File with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). | IC3 is the FBI’s main federal intake point for internet-enabled crime complaints. Reports support investigative and intelligence purposes; filing does not guarantee a response or investigation. |
| Consumer scam or fraud | File with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. | The FTC says reports help it build cases, stop scammers, and alert others to trends. |
A scam can fit more than one category, so a victim may file with both IC3 and the FTC when appropriate. If money or an account is involved, contact the relevant financial institution or payment provider as well; an agency complaint is not a substitute for its fraud or dispute process.
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Think of the routes as complementary, not interchangeable. IC3 is the main federal intake route for cyber-enabled crime complaints; the FTC collects consumer scam and fraud reports to help build cases, stop scammers, and identify trends. Emergency services and the FBI’s urgent channels are for immediate danger or urgent threats, not a substitute for routine fraud reporting. A payment provider handles its own account-security, fraud, and dispute processes. Depending on what happened, several contacts may be appropriate.
What to do first after discovering the scam
- Handle immediate danger. Call 911 or local police if anyone is at risk. For an ongoing crime, threat to life, or national-security concern, use the FBI’s urgent route rather than treating it as routine cyber-enabled fraud.
- Contact the payment provider promptly. If you sent money or exposed a payment account, contact your bank, card issuer, wire provider, payment app, or cryptocurrency exchange through its official channel. Ask about its fraud, dispute, and account-security process. Procedures and deadlines differ; confirm them with the provider rather than assuming a particular reversal window.
- Secure affected accounts and devices. Use the official website, app, or phone number for the affected service or financial institution. If credentials, payment details, or remote access were exposed, take steps through those official channels to protect the account. When it is safe to do so, preserve relevant records before deleting messages or resetting a device.
- Preserve records before filing. Keep original messages and files where possible, and organize the incident details listed below. Do not delay emergency help or time-sensitive contact with a payment provider in order to collect every record.
- Submit reports to the relevant agencies. Use IC3 for cyber-enabled crime and the FTC for consumer fraud or scams. Follow any instructions on the official forms.
- Save the complaint copy and add later information correctly. IC3 says it cannot respond to every complaint. If you have additional information after submitting, file a new complaint and identify it as a supplement.
These actions may need to happen in parallel. For example, if a scammer has access to an account and a payment has been sent, contact the relevant provider promptly while also preserving messages and preparing an agency report. Do not wait for an IC3 or FTC response before contacting the provider: the provider’s own process is separate, and the reviewed agency guidance does not establish a universal payment-reversal deadline.
Use contact details you obtain from the provider’s official website, app, or other official channel. That is especially important if the scam began with a message containing a phone number or link: the message itself may be part of the scam, so do not treat its contact details as independently verified.
What evidence and details to preserve
Save material that relates to the particular scam. You do not need to create specialized network captures or malware records if they are not relevant or you do not have them. IC3 lists examples of records that may be useful, including:
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- Technical records, when relevant and already available: network or host logs, malware, and hard drive images.
Keep originals in a secure location. If you make screenshots or working copies for easier reference, retain the original message or file too. The FBI’s guidance lists possible evidence types but does not prescribe a particular forensic acquisition method for ordinary victims.
IC3’s examples are a menu, not a checklist every victim must complete. A person who paid by card may have a statement or receipt; someone contacted through email may have the original message and its headers; someone approached through a website may have the page and its full address. Preserve what is relevant and already available. Do not assume that you need specialist tools, a hard drive image, or network logs to make a report.
Preserving records means keeping them available, not altering them to create a more polished story. Leave original emails, files, messages, receipts, and other records intact. If a screenshot or written summary helps you review events, treat it as an additional working copy rather than a replacement for the original. Keep records securely; official guidance does not prescribe a particular storage product or forensic method.
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Make a concise incident chronology
Write down when contact began, what the person said or requested, what you did, and when you realized it might be a scam. A clear sequence helps you give consistent details in agency forms and when speaking to a payment provider.
Use dates and times when you know them, and mark estimates as estimates rather than presenting them as certain. Include the important turns in the interaction: how the person first contacted you, what they asked you to do, whether the request changed, when money or information was sent, and when you recognized the fraud. Keep the account factual. If you are unsure about a detail, say so rather than filling in a gap.
A short chronology is also useful when a scam involved several conversations or payments. It can help distinguish what happened at each stage and keep a total loss from obscuring individual transaction dates and amounts. You do not need to make a formal report narrative before contacting emergency services or a payment provider.
Record transaction facts
For each payment, note the date, amount, method, recipient or receiving-account details, and total loss. Keep receipts and statements that support those details. If there were several transactions, list them separately rather than relying only on a combined total.
Record the payment method as specifically as you can from your own records: for example, whether it was a card, wire, cryptocurrency, money order, check, prepaid card, or another method. Preserve any receipt or confirmation associated with it. If you do not know who ultimately received the funds, record the recipient or account details you do have and avoid guessing at the person behind them.
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Keep financial records alongside, but distinct from, the chronology. The dates and amounts help describe the loss; receipts and account records are supporting material. The point is to have a clear account of what was paid and when, not to infer facts that the records do not show.
Collect identifiers and communications
Record names, email addresses, phone numbers, usernames, website URLs, app names, and any known address or IP address associated with the suspected scammer. Preserve the original messages, full email headers, chat transcripts, call logs, and relevant web pages. Do not edit originals to make them easier to read.
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Capture the complete web address when visible, not only a site name or the text of a link. Note dates associated with a page or interaction when you can see them. Keep relevant phone bills or call logs if calls played a role. Do not assume that every identifier is authentic: describe it as information associated with the suspected scammer unless you know more.
For email, IC3 specifically identifies electronic copies and full headers as preferable or useful. Keep the original email in electronic form if possible, rather than relying only on a screenshot or a copied excerpt. Preserve related messages in context where practical, since a single message may not show what was requested or what happened next.
How to file an IC3 complaint
Use the official IC3 website to begin a complaint. IC3 requests complainant information, financial-loss and transaction information, subject information, specific incident details, and email headers when available or applicable. The FBI says accuracy and completeness affect its ability to address a complaint, so provide the facts you know and distinguish confirmed details from estimates.
- Gather the chronology, transaction records, suspect identifiers, and relevant communications before starting, if doing so will not delay an urgent response.
- Complete the complaint on IC3’s official website with the requested complainant, transaction, subject, and incident details. Include email headers when available or applicable.
- Review the information for accuracy and submit the form.
- Save or print the complaint copy at submission and note any confirmation or reference details displayed. IC3 cautions that it will not email or send an electronic copy of the complaint afterward.
- If you later learn something important, submit a new complaint and identify it as supplemental information.
Before filing, it can help to sort your notes into the categories IC3 requests. Have the complainant information, financial loss and transaction details, information about the subject, and a specific account of the incident ready. If email is involved, have full headers available when applicable. Organizing those facts can help you answer accurately without treating a guess as confirmed information.
Completeness matters, but it does not mean delaying urgent action until you have every possible detail. IC3 says accuracy and completeness affect the FBI’s ability to address a complaint, and it asks for information in these categories; it also says reports can be supplemented through a new complaint. Provide what you know, preserve what you have, and use a later supplemental complaint for important information you learn afterward.
Do not look for an evidence-upload step. IC3’s official FAQ states: “IC3 does not collect evidence regarding complaints, nor do we accept attachments.” Keep the records securely available in case investigators request them later. This answers a common question about whether to send screenshots to the FBI with the initial IC3 report: IC3 does not accept attachments, so retain screenshots and originals rather than trying to upload them.
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Reporting to the FTC
For consumer fraud or scams, use the FTC’s official ReportFraud.ftc.gov service. The FTC says reports help it build cases, stop scammers, and alert others to trends. Give a clear account of what happened and preserve your own records. An FTC report does not replace IC3 reporting when the incident is cyber-enabled crime, nor does it replace contacting a payment provider about a transaction or account.
The two agency routes have different stated functions. IC3 is the FBI’s main intake point for cyber-enabled crime complaints and says reports support investigative and intelligence purposes. The FTC says consumer reports help it build cases, stop scammers, and alert others to trends. If the facts fit both descriptions, submitting a report to both may be appropriate. Neither route is a replacement for immediate emergency help or the payment provider’s separate processes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happens after you report
IC3 reports support investigative and intelligence purposes. The FBI says rapid reporting can support recovery efforts, but a report is not a promise that money will be recovered, that an individual complaint will receive a response, or that investigators will open a case. Contacting your financial institution or payment service promptly is a separate step because its own procedures govern account security and disputes.
Keep the complaint copy and preserved records together. If investigators or an agency contact you for additional information, use the official contact details for that agency and provide relevant records through the channel they specify. IC3’s inability to accept attachments with the initial complaint is not a reason to discard the evidence.
IC3 says it cannot respond to every complaint. Filing therefore should not be treated as an assurance that you will receive an individual update. It is still useful to provide accurate information through the official reporting route; the FBI says the reports support investigative and intelligence purposes. Keep your own report copy and records even if you do not hear back.
If you later discover a missing transaction, new identifier, or another relevant fact, IC3 directs complainants to submit a new complaint identifying the additional information as a supplement. Keep the new information linked in your own files with the original complaint copy. Do not assume that an email attachment or an unsolicited request is an official follow-up; use agency contact information obtained through official channels.
If you are outside the United States
IC3 says people who believe they are affected by cyber-enabled crime may file, including people outside the United States and people reporting a subject located abroad. That does not make IC3 a substitute for local reporting requirements. The procedures of non-U.S. law-enforcement and consumer-protection agencies vary; consult official local sources for the appropriate reporting route.
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This guidance verifies U.S. reporting routes; it does not establish which agency or form applies in another country. If you live abroad or the suspected scammer is located abroad, use official sources in your jurisdiction to check local law-enforcement and consumer-protection reporting requirements. IC3 may accept reports from people outside the United States, but that does not replace local procedures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I report an online scam in the United States?
For cyber-enabled fraud or internet crime, file with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). For consumer scams or fraud, report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If there is immediate danger, call 911 or contact local police; urgent threats such as an ongoing crime or threat to life have FBI urgent channels, including tips.fbi.gov and local field offices.
Should I send screenshots or other evidence to the FBI with my IC3 complaint?
No. IC3 says it does not collect evidence with complaints and does not accept attachments. Preserve screenshots, original messages, receipts, and other relevant records securely in case investigators request them later.
What evidence should I save after an online scam?
Keep relevant originals such as payment receipts, checks, wire or cryptocurrency records, emails (preferably electronic copies with full headers), chat transcripts, call logs, phone bills, relevant web pages, and any applicable technical records you already have. Also write down a chronology, transaction dates and amounts, total loss, and identifiers associated with the suspected scammer. Not every record type applies to every incident.
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Can IC3 get my money back or guarantee an investigation?
No. The FBI says rapid reporting can support recovery efforts, but filing does not guarantee that money will be recovered, that investigators will open a case, or that IC3 will respond to an individual complaint. Contact your bank, card issuer, wire provider, payment app, or cryptocurrency exchange promptly about its own fraud and dispute process.
What if I learn something new after filing with IC3?
IC3 directs people with additional information to file a new complaint and identify it as a supplement. Save the complaint copy at submission because IC3 cautions that it will not email or send an electronic copy afterward.
Can someone outside the United States file with IC3?
IC3 says people affected by cyber-enabled crime may file even if they are outside the United States or the subject is abroad. That does not replace local reporting requirements; consult official local law-enforcement and consumer-protection sources for your jurisdiction.
The Bottom Line
For a U.S. online scam, use IC3 for cyber-enabled crime and the FTC for consumer fraud; contact 911 or local police for immediate danger, and contact the payment provider promptly if money or an account is involved. Preserve original records and transaction details, save the IC3 complaint copy when you submit it, and remember that IC3 does not accept attachments. Reporting can support agency work, but it does not guarantee a response, investigation, or recovery.
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