How to Report a Scam to the FTC, FBI and Your Bank

You’ve just realized it was a scam. Maybe you paid a fake delivery fee, bought gift cards for a “tech support agent” or wired money for a job that didn’t exist. Now you’re wondering who to tell, and whether it’s even worth the effort.

It is. Reporting fast can help you stop a payment, and every report helps investigators connect cases and shut down the people behind them. The hard part is that there isn’t one single place to report everything. This guide shows you exactly who handles what, in the order that gives you the best chance of getting money back.

Step 1: Call your bank or payment provider first

Before any government form, contact the company that moved your money. Agencies collect reports and build cases, but they usually can’t reverse your individual payment. Your bank or card issuer often can, if you’re quick.

• Credit card: Call the number on the back of your card, report fraud and ask for a chargeback.
• Debit card or bank transfer: Call your bank’s fraud line and ask it to stop or recall the transfer.
• Payment app: Report the transaction in the app and contact support.
• Wire transfer: Call your bank and ask for a wire recall right away.
• Gift card: Call the gift card company using the number on the card. Keep the card and receipt.
• Cryptocurrency: Contact the exchange or crypto ATM operator you used.

Speed matters for legal protections too. Under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and its Regulation E, you generally need to report unauthorized electronic transfers within 60 days of the statement that shows them to keep your liability limited. Credit card billing disputes have a similar 60-day window under the Fair Credit Billing Act. Payments you sent yourself, even if you were tricked, may not get the same protection, so call anyway and ask what’s possible. This is not legal advice.

Key takeaway: Your bank can sometimes stop the money. Government agencies usually can’t. Call the bank first, then file your reports the same day.

Step 2: Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov

The Federal Trade Commission is the main place to report most consumer scams: imposters, online shopping fraud, fake prizes, job scams, tech support scams and more.

Reports go into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure database that local, state and federal law enforcement can access. FTC investigators and analysts use reports to spot patterns and build cases, and to choose the scams they warn the public about.

What to expect: the FTC uses reports to go after scammers and patterns of fraud, but it generally doesn’t resolve individual complaints or recover your money one case at a time. After you file, you’ll see next steps tailored to your situation.

Step 3: Report to the FBI at ic3.gov if it happened online

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) collects reports of internet-enabled crime, including online investment and crypto scams, business email compromise, tech support fraud, extortion and ransomware.

A few things to know, straight from the IC3:

• IC3 doesn’t investigate complaints itself. Analysts review them and forward them to law enforcement and partner agencies when appropriate.
• You won’t hear back from IC3. Any follow-up comes from the agency that picks up the case.
• IC3 doesn’t accept attachments, so keep your evidence safe in case an investigator asks for it.
• The FBI says its ability to act depends on how accurate and complete your report is.

If a business wire transfer was stolen, file with IC3 and call your bank immediately. The FBI’s 2025 report notes its Recovery Asset Team works with banks to freeze funds in some cases. Our guide to business email compromise explains how those scams work.

Step 4: Use IdentityTheft.gov if your information was stolen

If you shared your Social Security number, bank login, driver’s license or other personal data, or someone opened accounts in your name, go to IdentityTheft.gov. It builds a personal recovery plan and can generate an FTC identity theft report you can use with creditors and credit bureaus.

Then consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze. Our guides on how to freeze your credit and protecting yourself from identity theft walk through each step.

Which agency handles what

The Justice Department’s National Elder Fraud Hotline (833-372-8311) helps people 60 and older report fraud and connects them with resources. Official pages list hours as weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.

What to include in your report

The more specific you are, the more useful your report is. Gather this before you start:

1. Dates and times of each contact and payment.
2. How they reached you: phone number, email address, website, social media profile or app username.
3. What they said: who they claimed to be and what they asked for.
4. Payment details: amount, method, transaction IDs, receiving account or wallet address, gift card numbers.
5. Screenshots and messages: keep originals, even if the form doesn’t accept attachments.
6. What you’ve done so far: bank contacted, card canceled, passwords changed.

Write a simple timeline in a document while it’s fresh. You’ll reuse it for every report and every call to your bank.

Why reporting still helps, even if the money is gone

Many people skip reporting because they feel embarrassed or assume nothing will happen. Here’s what reports actually do:

• They connect cases. One report looks small. Thousands sharing the same phone number or wallet address make a case.
• They trigger warnings. The FTC uses reports to pick new scams for public consumer alerts.
• They support recovery. Some refunds come from enforcement actions years later, and those depend on knowing who was harmed.
• They protect your records. A police report or FTC identity theft report helps you dispute fraudulent accounts and debts.
• They show the real scale. The FBI says reported losses understate the true harm because many victims never come forward.

Scams target people of every age and background. Reporting isn’t an admission of anything, and it can prevent the next person from losing money.

Where to start: your reporting checklist

1. Call your bank or payment provider to stop or reverse payments.
2. Stop contact with the scammer. Block numbers and accounts.
3. Secure accounts: change passwords and turn on two-factor authentication.
4. File at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
5. File at ic3.gov if it happened online or involved a significant loss.
6. Use IdentityTheft.gov if personal data was exposed.
7. Add a specialist agency from the table if the scam impersonated the IRS, Social Security, USPS or an investment firm.
8. Watch for recovery scams. Nobody legitimate charges a fee to get your money back.

For scam-specific steps, see our guides on tech support scam pop-ups, fake package delivery texts, fake remote job offers and bank impersonation calls. Our guide on what to do if you got scammed covers the first hour in more detail.

Conclusion

Reporting a scam is a 3-part job: your bank first, the FTC and FBI next, and a specialist agency when the scam impersonated one. It takes less than an hour, and it gives you the best shot at stopping the money while helping investigators shut the scam down. Keep your evidence, write a timeline and be wary of anyone who contacts you offering to recover your losses for a fee.

Sources

• FTC Consumer Alert: Did you spot a scam? Here’s what to do next (August 2026) — Consumer Sentinel Network and how the FTC uses reports
• FBI IC3: Frequently asked questions — what IC3 does with complaints, no attachments, keep evidence
• CFPB: Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.6, liability for unauthorized transfers — 60-day reporting window for unauthorized electronic transfers
• Office for Victims of Crime: National Elder Fraud Hotline — hotline number, hours and who it serves
• SSA Office of the Inspector General: Report fraud — reporting Social Security impersonation scams
• TIGTA: IRS impersonation scam reporting — where to report IRS impersonators