How to report a scam: who to tell and in what order

Key takeaways

Report in this order: the company you paid through, then the FTC, then IC3 if it happened online, then anyone specific to the scam.
A report will not usually get your money back by itself. It supports your dispute, helps investigators link cases, and warns others.
You can report even if you lost nothing. Attempted scams are useful data.
Reporting is free. No government agency charges a fee or asks for payment to open a case.
Keep your evidence: screenshots, numbers, addresses, receipts, and the dates you reported.

Why bother reporting

Most people who are scammed never report it. The FTC has estimated that the real cost of fraud may be more than fifteen times the reported figure. That silence is useful to criminals: patterns go unnoticed, budgets go elsewhere, and the same script keeps working.

A report does three practical things. It gives you a record to show your bank or a business. It lets investigators connect your case to others using the same phone number, account, or wallet. And it feeds the public warnings that stop the next person.

It will not usually return your money. For that, the fast call to your bank or card issuer matters most. See how to get your money back.

The order that works

1. The company you paid through

Bank, card issuer, payment app, wire service, gift card issuer, or crypto exchange. Do this first because it is the only step that can stop or reverse a payment. Ask for a reference number.

2. The Federal Trade Commission

ReportFraud.ftc.gov takes about five to ten minutes. You describe what happened, how you were contacted, how you paid, and any names or numbers used. You get next-step advice at the end. Reports are shared with law enforcement across the country. You can also call 1-877-382-4357.

3. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center

If the scam involved the internet in any way (email, social media, a website, an app, crypto), file at IC3.gov. Include bank details, wallet addresses, and transaction IDs. For large wire transfers, file the same day, because the FBI can sometimes work with banks to freeze funds.

4. IdentityTheft.gov, if personal information was exposed

If you shared or lost a Social Security number, or accounts were opened in your name, IdentityTheft.gov builds a personal recovery plan with letters you can send to businesses.

5. Your state

Your state attorney general handles consumer fraud and often mediates complaints with businesses. Many states also have a separate securities regulator for investment fraud and an adult protective services agency if an older or vulnerable adult is being exploited.

The right place for each type of scam

What happened	Also report to
Someone pretended to be Social Security	Social Security's Office of the Inspector General, oig.ssa.gov
Someone pretended to be the IRS	The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, tigta.gov, and forward emails to phishing@irs.gov
A Medicare call, test kit, or billing you did not request	1-800-MEDICARE, or your Senior Medicare Patrol
A scam text	Forward it to 7726 (SPAM)
A scam email	Forward it to reportphishing@apwg.org, and use your mail app's report button
A scam using U.S. mail, or cash sent by mail	U.S. Postal Inspection Service, uspis.gov/report, 1-877-876-2455
Investment or crypto fraud	The SEC at sec.gov/tcr, the CFTC at cftc.gov/complaint, and your state securities regulator
A problem with a bank, lender, or payment app's response	Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, consumerfinance.gov/complaint
Unwanted calls and robocalls	The FCC, and register at donotcall.gov
A fake profile, ad, or listing	The platform where you saw it. Use its report button so it can be taken down
A scam based in another country	econsumer.gov, run by consumer agencies from many countries
An older adult being exploited	The Elder Fraud Hotline, 833-372-8311, and local adult protective services
Sexual images of someone under 18, or threats to share them	The FBI at tips.fbi.gov and NCMEC's CyberTipline

What to have in front of you

Dates and amounts of each payment, and how each was made
The scammer's phone numbers, email addresses, usernames, website addresses, and wallet addresses
Account or transaction numbers, gift card numbers and receipts, tracking numbers
Screenshots of messages, profiles, and ads. Take them before blocking anyone
Reference numbers from your bank and from any reports you have already filed

Do not include your own passwords or full card numbers in a report. Nobody needs them.

What happens after you report

Usually, not much that you can see. You may get an automated confirmation and nothing more. That does not mean it was ignored. Agencies work from patterns across thousands of reports, and cases can take years. Sometimes, when a case ends with money recovered, refunds are sent to people who reported. The FTC says it obtained more than $1.8 billion in redress for consumers in fiscal year 2025.

Real refund notices never ask you to pay a fee or share bank passwords to receive your money. If someone contacts you claiming to be from the FTC, the FBI, or a court and asks for payment, that is another scam. See recovery scams.

Reporting when you did not lose money

Do it anyway if you have two minutes. Attempted scams show agencies which scripts are circulating, and forwarding a scam text to 7726 or reporting a fake profile can get it blocked before it reaches someone who is having a worse day than you.

Common questions

Where do I report a scam in the United States?

Start with the bank, card, or app you paid through. Then report to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If the scam happened online, also file with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov. If your identity was used, go to IdentityTheft.gov.

Does reporting a scam to the FTC do anything?

The FTC does not resolve individual cases, but reports go into a database used by thousands of law enforcement users to spot patterns and build cases. The FTC says it brought 40 enforcement actions in fiscal year 2025 and obtained more than $1.8 billion in redress for consumers.

Should I report a scam to the police?

Yes if you lost money, if your identity was stolen and a business asks for a police report, or if you feel threatened. Local police may not investigate an online scam, but a report number can help with banks and insurers. In immediate danger, call 911.

Is it too late to report an old scam?

No. Report whenever you can. Refund rights with banks are time limited, so do that part quickly, but agencies accept reports about past events and they still help link cases.

Official sources and further reading

Published September 21, 2026, last updated September 21, 2026. This guide is general education for people in the United States. It is not legal or financial advice, and it cannot tell you whether a particular message or person is genuine. Spot an error? Tell us.

How to report a scam: who to tell, in what order, and what happens next