How to Report a Scam: Step-by-Step Guide for Every Platform

Reporting a scam takes 10-15 minutes and serves two purposes: it creates a paper trail that can help you recover losses, and it feeds data to agencies that track and shut down scam operations. Even if you think "nothing will happen," your report combined with thousands of others is how scam rings eventually get dismantled. Here's exactly where and how to report, depending on the type of scam.

Before You Report: Gather Your Evidence

Collect everything before you start filing reports. You'll need the same information across multiple agencies, and it's easier to have it ready upfront.

• Screenshots of the scam message, email, website, or social media profile
• Email headers (in Gmail: open the email → three dots → "Show original")
• Phone numbers the scammer used
• URLs of any scam websites
• Transaction records — bank statements, wire transfer receipts, cryptocurrency transaction hashes, gift card numbers and receipts
• Communication logs — save text messages, chat logs, or voicemails
• Dates and times of all interactions
• Dollar amounts lost

Keep this evidence in a dedicated folder. You'll reference it multiple times.

Report to Federal Agencies

FTC (Federal Trade Commission)

The FTC is the primary U.S. agency for consumer fraud. Every report enters a database used by thousands of law enforcement agencies.

1. Go to reportfraud.ftc.gov
2. Select the category that matches your scam
3. Fill in the details — be specific about amounts, dates, and methods
4. Submit and save your reference number

For identity theft specifically, use identitytheft.gov instead — it generates a personalized recovery plan.

FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

For significant financial losses, especially involving wire fraud, business email compromise, or romance scams.

1. Go to ic3.gov
2. Click "File a Complaint"
3. Complete the form with all available details
4. Include financial transaction information

IC3 is particularly important for wire transfer fraud — they have a Recovery Asset Team that can sometimes freeze wires before scammers withdraw the funds. Time is critical: report wire fraud to IC3 within 72 hours.

USPS (Postal Inspection Service)

If the scam involved physical mail or packages:

1. Report online at uspis.gov
2. Or call 1-877-876-2455

Report to Your Financial Institution

This is the step most likely to result in money recovery. Contact your bank or credit card company immediately.

Credit Card Payments

1. Call the number on the back of your card
2. Request a chargeback for the fraudulent transaction
3. Provide your evidence (transaction details, screenshots of the scam)
4. Follow up in writing — send a letter within 60 days of the statement date

Credit card chargebacks have the highest success rate for recovery. Under federal law, your liability is limited to $50 for unauthorized charges.

Bank/Debit Card Payments

1. Call your bank's fraud department immediately
2. File a dispute under Regulation E (electronic fund transfers)
3. For wire transfers, ask the bank to issue a SWIFT recall — this works best within 24 hours

Peer-to-Peer Payments (Venmo, Zelle, Cash App)

Recovery is harder with P2P payments because they're designed for sending money to people you know. Still report through the app's fraud reporting feature and to your linked bank. Zelle transactions may be covered if you were tricked into authorizing payment by someone impersonating your bank.

Cryptocurrency

Report to the exchange where you hold your account. Report to IC3. Recovery is rare but not impossible — law enforcement has improved at tracing crypto transactions.

Gift Cards

Contact the gift card issuer immediately with the card numbers. If the funds haven't been drained yet, they may be able to freeze the balance. Report to the FTC as well — gift card scams are tracked specifically.

Report to Email and Platform Providers

Gmail

1. Open the email
2. Click the three dots (⋮) next to Reply
3. Select "Report phishing"

Outlook/Hotmail

1. Select the email
2. Click "Junk" → "Phishing" → "Report"

Apple Mail

1. Forward the email to reportphishing@apple.com

Yahoo Mail

1. Click the three dots (⋯) on the email
2. Select "Report phishing scam"

Report to Social Media Platforms

Facebook/Instagram

1. Go to the profile or message
2. Click the three dots → "Report"
3. Select "Scam or fraud"
4. For Marketplace scams, report through the listing directly

WhatsApp

1. Open the chat
2. Tap the contact name at the top
3. Scroll down → "Report contact"
4. Choose "Block and report"

X (Twitter)

1. Click the three dots on the post or profile
2. Select "Report" → "Scam or spam"

LinkedIn

1. Click the three dots on the message or profile
2. Select "Report/Block"
3. Choose "Scam, fraud, or impersonation"

Report to the Company Being Impersonated

Most major companies have dedicated phishing report addresses. Forward the scam email directly to them:

• Amazon: stop-spoofing@amazon.com
• PayPal: spoof@paypal.com
• Apple: reportphishing@apple.com
• Microsoft: report@microsoft.com
• IRS: phishing@irs.gov
• Netflix: phishing@netflix.com

These reports help companies take down phishing domains and protect other customers.

Report the Scam Website or Domain

If the scam involves a fake website, you can report the domain to get it taken down:

• Google Safe Browsing: safebrowsing.google.com/safebrowsing/report_phish
• APWG (Anti-Phishing Working Group): reportphishing@apwg.org
• Domain registrar: Look up the registrar at whois.domaintools.com and file an abuse report

For Non-U.S. Residents

• UK: Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk) and forward emails to report@phishing.gov.uk
• Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca)
• Australia: Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au)
• EU: Europol's reporting page at europol.europa.eu

Report Phone Scams (Vishing)

If the scam involved a phone call — whether you received a scam call or called a number from a scam email/text:

1. Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov — include the phone number the scammer used
2. Report to your phone carrier. Most carriers allow you to forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM). For calls, check your carrier's scam reporting options.
3. Add the number to the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov — while scammers ignore this registry, your complaint helps the FTC track violators
4. If the scammer had you install remote access software (TeamViewer, AnyDesk, etc.), uninstall it immediately, run a full antivirus scan, and change passwords from a different device

How to Preserve Evidence Properly

Your reports are only as good as the evidence you provide. Here's how to preserve evidence that agencies can actually use:

• Email headers contain the real technical routing data. In Gmail: open the email → three dots → "Show original." Save the entire raw message as a .eml file if possible.
• Full-page screenshots are better than partial ones. Capture the entire email, including the sender address bar. On a website, capture the URL bar and as much of the page as possible.
• Save URLs before they're taken down. Scam websites are often short-lived. Copy the full URL and save it. You can also use the Wayback Machine (web.archive.org) to capture a snapshot.
• Don't edit or redact evidence before submitting to law enforcement. They need the raw data. You can redact when sharing publicly or with friends.
• Keep a timeline. Write down dates and times of every interaction — when you received the scam, when you clicked/replied, when you realized it was a scam, when you took action. This timeline is valuable for both law enforcement and financial dispute processes.

Common Mistakes When Reporting

Avoid these errors that can slow down your recovery:

• Waiting too long. For financial fraud, hours matter. Wire transfers can sometimes be recalled within 24-72 hours, but not after. Credit card disputes have a 60-day window. Report financial losses to your bank the same day you discover them.
• Only reporting to one agency. Each reporting channel serves a different purpose. Your bank handles financial recovery. The FTC tracks patterns. IC3 handles federal investigations. The platform provider removes the scam content. Report to all relevant parties.
• Deleting the scam message before reporting. The evidence is the message itself. Report first, then delete.
• Not filing a police report for large losses. While local police often can't investigate online scams directly, a police report creates an official record that can support insurance claims, bank disputes, and tax deductions for theft losses.
• Giving up because "nothing will happen." Aggregate data from thousands of reports is how scam networks get identified and shut down. The FTC and FBI regularly cite consumer reports in enforcement actions. Your report matters even if you never hear about the outcome.

What Happens After You Report

For individual reports, you typically won't hear back from law enforcement agencies. This is normal — they aggregate reports to build cases against larger operations. Your bank or credit card company will follow up on disputes within 30-90 days.

What you should do after reporting:

1. Change passwords on any compromised accounts — use a password manager to generate strong, unique passwords
2. Enable two-factor authentication on important accounts — prioritize email, banking, and social media
3. Monitor your credit for 12 months — consider a credit freeze if personal identification information was compromised
4. Check your bank statements weekly for the next three months for any unauthorized charges you might have missed
5. Save your report reference numbers in a dedicated document — you may need them for insurance claims, tax filings, or follow-up reports
6. Set up Google alerts for your name and email address to catch if your information appears in public data dumps

If you're still evaluating whether something is a scam before reporting, paste the message into IsThisAScam for an instant analysis. It will identify the scam type and give you specific next steps, including where to report.