Scammed in the United States: where to report it
If you are in the United States and you think you have been cheated online or by phone, report it to the federal channels below and tell your bank straight away.
Source: reportfraud.ftc.gov (Federal Trade Commission) and ic3.gov (Internet Crime Complaint Center, FBI). Checked 3 October 2026.
What to do in the first hour
- Stop paying. Do not send more money, gift cards, crypto or codes.
- Call your bank or card company using the number on your card or in their official app. Tell them it is fraud.
- Report at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Give the date, amount, how you paid and how the scammer contacted you.
- If it happened online, also report at ic3.gov. The Internet Crime Complaint Center describes itself as the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime.
- Keep evidence. Save messages, call logs, payment receipts and screenshots. Write down numbers, names and links used.
What happens to your report
The FTC page says it cannot resolve individual reports, and that reports are shared with over 2,000 law enforcers. So report to help stop others, and also talk to your bank about your own loss.
Source: reportfraud.ftc.gov home page. Checked 3 October 2026.
Watch out for impersonators
Both official pages warn that scammers pretend to be the FTC or IC3. IC3 says it does not contact people directly to ask for money or information. Go to the websites yourself rather than clicking links in messages.
Source: reportfraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov home pages. Checked 3 October 2026.
If someone offers to get your money back for a fee
We cannot recover money, and we do not charge anyone. A person who contacts you offering to get lost money back, especially for an advance fee, is a common second step in scams. Report that person too.