Fraud First AidDigital safety for American families

Where to Report a Scam: The Official Places, by Type of Scam

Reporting helps investigators build cases and warn others. Pick what happened: every link goes to the official agency page that takes the report.

Lost money? Call your bank or the payment company first: speed matters more than the report. Ourscam recovery checklist tells you who to call for each payment method.

Any scam or fraud
  1. Federal Trade Commission (ReportFraud.ftc.gov). Report the scam online at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or call the FTC if you can't use the website.
    Official page · Phone: 877-382-4357
  2. FTC in Spanish or other languages. Report in Spanish at ReporteFraude.ftc.gov, or call 877-382-4357 (9 a.m.–5 p.m. ET) and press 3 to report in another language.
    Official page · Phone: 877-382-4357
  3. Your state consumer protection office. Also report the scam to your state's consumer protection office.
  4. Local police or sheriff's office. Report the scam to your local police or sheriff's office.
Identity theft
  1. IdentityTheft.gov (Federal Trade Commission). Report identity theft online or by phone to get an FTC Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan.
    Official page · Phone: 1-877-438-4338
  2. Identity theft reports in Spanish or other languages. Report in Spanish at RobodeIdentidad.gov, or call 877-438-4338 and press 3 to report in another language (interpreters 9 a.m.–5 p.m. ET).
    Official page · Phone: 877-438-4338
  3. U.S. Postal Inspection Service (identity theft through the mail). If your personal information was stolen from your mail, also report it to the Postal Inspection Service and choose Identity Theft.
Online or internet crime
  1. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). File a complaint with the FBI's IC3, even if you're not sure your case qualifies.
  2. Federal Trade Commission (ReportFraud.ftc.gov). Also report the scammer to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Phishing texts and emails
  1. Your wireless carrier (forward texts to 7726). Copy the scam text and forward it to 7726 (SPAM) so your wireless provider can block similar messages.
    Official page · Forward texts to: 7726
  2. Anti-Phishing Working Group (phishing emails). Forward the phishing email to [email protected].
  3. Federal Trade Commission (ReportFraud.ftc.gov). Report the phishing attempt at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and paste the message text into the comments, because the FTC can't accept forwarded messages.
  4. Your messaging app. Use the 'report junk' or 'report spam' option in the messaging app you use.
Mail fraud or fake USPS messages
  1. U.S. Postal Inspection Service (fake USPS texts and emails). Without clicking the link, copy the fake USPS text into an email, attach a screenshot showing the sender's number and date, and send it to [email protected].
  2. Your wireless carrier (forward to 7726). Also forward the fake USPS text to 7726 to help report the scammer's phone number.
    Official page · Forward texts to: 7726
  3. U.S. Postal Inspection Service (mail fraud). Report scams that came through the U.S. Mail, such as sweepstakes, lottery, investment or romance scams, using the Mail Fraud form.
  4. U.S. Postal Inspection Service (mail theft). Report stolen mail online or call the Postal Inspection Service.
    Official page · Phone: 1-877-876-2455
IRS impersonation
  1. IRS phishing team (fake IRS emails). Send the fake email to [email protected], ideally as an attachment, with the subject line "IRS", then delete it.
  2. IRS phishing team (fake IRS texts). Email [email protected] with the subject line "Text" and include the sender's number, the message, your number, and the date, time and time zone you got it.
  3. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (fake IRS calls). Write down the caller's number, hang up, and report the call to the TIGTA hotline by phone.
    Official page · Phone: 800-366-4484
  4. IRS phishing team (fake IRS social media accounts). Report the fake account to the social media platform and email its full URL to [email protected] with the subject line "Social media".
  5. Federal Trade Commission (ReportFraud.ftc.gov). Also report the IRS impostor to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Social Security impersonation
  1. Social Security Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG). Report the Social Security impostor online to the SSA Office of the Inspector General (choose "Report Scams").
  2. Federal Trade Commission (help in other languages). To report in another language, call the FTC and press 3 to speak to an interpreter.
    Official page · Phone: (877) 382-4357
Robocalls, spoofed calls and unwanted texts
  1. FTC Do Not Call reporting (DoNotCall.gov). Report robocalls that use a recorded message, and unwanted sales calls once your number has been on the Do Not Call Registry for 31 days.
  2. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) complaint center. File an FCC complaint and choose "unwanted calls/texts" as the phone issue, or "my own number is being spoofed" if scammers are using your number.
    Official page · Phone: 1-888-225-5322
  3. Federal Trade Commission (if you lost money). If you lost money or know who called you, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
  4. Your wireless carrier (forward texts to 7726). Forward unwanted texts to 7726 (SPAM).
    Official page · Forward texts to: 7726
Bank, card, payment app or credit report problems
  1. Your bank, card issuer or payment app. Contact your bank, card issuer or payment app right away, report the scam payment, and ask them to reverse it and refund your money.
  2. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Submit a complaint about a bank account, credit card, credit report or money transfer service to the CFPB online, or by phone Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET.
    Official page · Phone: (855) 411-2372
  3. The credit bureau (credit report errors). Dispute wrong information directly with the credit bureau before you complain to the CFPB.
Elder fraud (victim 60+)
  1. National Elder Fraud Hotline (U.S. Department of Justice). Call 833-FRAUD-11, Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. ET, and a case manager will help you report fraud against anyone 60 or older (English, Spanish and other languages).
    Official page · Phone: 833-372-8311
  2. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). File an elder fraud complaint with the FBI's IC3.
  3. Adult Protective Services (via the Eldercare Locator). If the victim is an older adult or has a disability, contact local Adult Protective Services, which you can find through the Eldercare Locator online or by phone.
    Official page · Phone: 1-800-677-1116
Investment or crypto fraud
  1. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Submit a tip or complaint about investment fraud, including crypto schemes, through the SEC's online TCR system, or call the SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy with questions.
    Official page · Phone: 1-800-732-0330
  2. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Report fraud involving commodities, futures or crypto trading to the CFTC's Division of Enforcement with its online Complaint Form or by calling 866-FON-CFTC.
    Official page · Phone: 866-366-2382
  3. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). If you lost money to a crypto investment scam, file an IC3 complaint and include platform names, wallet addresses and transaction hashes.
  4. The platform and crypto exchange involved. Also report the scammer to the social media or dating platform where you met and to the crypto exchange you used.
Medicare or health insurance fraud
  1. Medicare (1-800-MEDICARE). If you suspect Medicare fraud, call 1-800-MEDICARE.
    Official page · Phone: 1-800-633-4227
  2. HHS Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) hotline. Submit a complaint online to the HHS-OIG hotline or call 1-800-HHS-TIPS.
    Official page · Phone: 1-800-447-8477
  3. I-MEDIC (Medicare Advantage and Medicare drug plans). If you have a Medicare Advantage or Medicare drug plan, you can also call I-MEDIC at 1-877-7SAFERX.
    Official page · Phone: 1-877-772-3379
State-level help
  1. State consumer protection offices (USA.gov directory). Select your state or territory to find the consumer protection office that handles scam and fraud complaints.
  2. Your state attorney general (NAAG directory). Look up your state or territory attorney general's contact information and report the scam to that office.
Online marketplace or social media scams
  1. The marketplace or website where you bought. Report the seller or listing to the marketplace or site owner first, using its own help or report tools.
  2. The social media site or app where you met the scammer. Report the scammer's profile or messages with the platform's own report tool.
  3. Federal Trade Commission (ReportFraud.ftc.gov). Report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
  4. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Also file a complaint with the FBI's IC3, which takes reports on online frauds and scams.

Good to know

  • When in doubt, report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. It takes every kind of scam and shares reports with law enforcement.
  • Official agencies never charge you to file a report or to "recover" your money. Anyone who asks for a fee is running a follow-up scam (FTC).
  • Keep a record of what you reported, where and when, and any report numbers.

Official pages checked on September 24, 2026. Agencies sometimes move their reporting pages; if a link breaks, search from the agency's home page.