How to Report a Scam in the United States, Step by Step

Key takeaways

Contact your bank, card issuer or payment company before anything else and ask them to reverse the payment; this is the only step with real time pressure.
File a report with the FTC at its Report Fraud site, which provides next steps matched to what you reported.
The FBI’s IC3 handles cyber-enabled crime, including most phone scams; save your complaint copy, because the IC3 will not contact you about it.
Check whether your state has a consumer protection office that takes complaints; adults ages 60 and older can also use the Department of Justice’s National Elder Fraud Hotline.
Reporting cannot guarantee your money back, but it feeds the pattern analysis behind enforcement actions.

A scam leaves most people with two questions at once: how do I keep this from getting worse, and who do I even tell? The answers come in a specific order. Banks and payment companies come first, because money that moved recently may still be reversed. Reports to federal agencies and your state come right after, and they are worth filing even when the money cannot be recovered.

First Steps: Stop Contact and Protect Your Accounts

Before any report gets filed, close the door the scammer came through.

Stop all contact. If the scammer has your number or email, expect more messages, often with new pressures or fresh promises.
Do not send anything else, whatever the scammer offers. The FTC notes that scammers deliberately choose payment methods that are hard to trace.
Write down what happened while it is fresh: dates, amounts, account or transaction numbers, and who received the money.
Keep the evidence in one place. Emails, texts, screenshots and receipts all belong in a single folder, because reporting forms ask for specifics.

If you gave the scammer personal information such as your Social Security or account numbers, or access to your computer, extra follow-up steps apply, covered near the end.

Step 1: Report the Fraud to the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the federal consumer protection agency, collects reports of fraud, scams and bad business practices at its Report Fraud site. The FTC says these reports help it stop scammers, and reporting protects others in your community who may face the same pitch.

The form asks what happened, how you paid and what you lost. When you finish, you receive next steps matched to your situation, with a focus on trying to recover money where that is possible.

Be aware: No genuine agency applies pressure this way. The FTC says it will never threaten you, tell you to transfer money to “protect it,” or ask you to withdraw cash or buy gold, and the IC3 warns that it never contacts people directly to ask for money or information.

Step 2: Contact Your Bank or Card Issuer Right Away

This is the step with a clock on it. Your money may already be gone, but the FTC’s advice is consistent: report the payment immediately and ask the company to reverse it and refund you. The right contact depends on how you paid.

Bank transfer or Zelle: Report to your bank or credit union right away and ask them to reverse the payment.
Payment apps: Report the transaction through the app itself and request a reversal and refund.
Wire transfers: Contact the wire transfer company immediately, explain that a scammer tricked you into sending the money, and ask for a refund. Western Union and MoneyGram are examples.
Credit card: Call the number on the back of the card, or log in to your account online or in the app, and ask the issuer to refund the charge.
Debit card: Report to your bank or credit union immediately, whether someone used your card without permission or you were tricked into paying.
Gift cards: Contact the company that issued the card and ask for a refund.

The common mistake here is hesitation. People assume a transfer is final and skip the call, but the FTC’s position is that it is always worth asking the company you used, even when the outcome looks unlikely.

Step 3: Report Online Crime to the FBI’s IC3

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is the FBI’s central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime, which the FBI defines as any illegal activity carried out with the help of internet technology. That covers more than many people expect: the agency counts most telephone calls as using internet technology, so phone scams can qualify. Examples the FBI lists include advance-fee schemes, goods or services that never arrive, hacking, fake job or business opportunities, ransomware and data breaches.

Anyone who believes they are affected can file a complaint, and you can also report on behalf of someone else. Between 2020 and 2024, reported losses filed with the IC3 topped $50 billion.

The complaint form asks for details about two people: you, as the person affected, and the scammer. Have the account information, the transaction date and amount, and who received the funds ready before you start.

After filing, a confirmation appears. Save or print a copy before leaving the page; this is the only chance to keep one, since the IC3 does not email a copy. Analysts then review complaints and pass information to federal, state, local or international law enforcement as appropriate. The IC3 does not conduct investigations, cannot tell you a case’s status, and does not guarantee a response to every complaint. Any contact or investigation is at the discretion of the agency that receives the referral.

Two kinds of reports belong elsewhere: crimes against children go to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and threats of terrorism go to the FBI’s public tips site.

Step 4: Check Your State’s Consumer Protection Options

Many states have an office that handles consumer complaints. Check your own state agency’s site for how to file and what the office can do for an individual case, since that varies by state. Putting your complaint on record with state consumer protection staff also adds to the pattern picture they watch. For adults ages 60 and older, the Department of Justice runs the National Elder Fraud Hotline, which offers services to older adults who may have experienced fraud.

Step 5: Watch for Identity Theft and Follow-Up Scams

Reporting often surfaces a second problem: the information you handed over. A scammer with your Social Security number or account numbers can open accounts or run up charges long after the original scam is over.

Check your credit reports for accounts or inquiries you do not recognize, and dispute anything that looks wrong. Our guide to checking your credit report and disputing errors walks through the process.

Stay alert for recovery scams. The IC3 warns that scammers impersonate the IC3 and claim to work with law firms or cryptocurrency services to recover lost funds. The agency does not work with any non-law enforcement entity to get money back and will never contact you directly for information or payment. Treat any unsolicited offer to retrieve your money, especially one that asks for an upfront fee, as another scam.

What Reporting Can and Cannot Get Back for You

Being clear-eyed about outcomes helps. Reporting cannot guarantee an investigation, an arrest or a refund. The IC3 cannot guarantee a response to every complaint. Agency reports support enforcement and public warnings rather than returning money to one person, and money paid through methods designed to be hard to trace may never come back.

What reporting can do is start the one recovery path that exists: an immediate reversal request with your bank, card issuer or payment company. Beyond your own case, reports feed the pattern analysis that lets the FTC act against scammers and lets the FBI and its partners see where fraud is heading. Individual complaints turn into enforcement through accumulation.

If money did leave your accounts, recovery also means refilling the gap. An emergency fund sized for your household gives you a cushion against a loss like this, and a budget you can stick to helps you rebuild without upending everything else.

Common questions

Q: Does reporting a scam get my money back?

A: Not by itself. The recovery path with the best odds is contacting the bank, card issuer, payment app or wire company that moved the money and asking for a reversal. Agency reports support enforcement, but recovery runs through the company that moved your money.

Q: Should I report if I lost only a small amount or no money at all?

A: Yes. The IC3 asks people to file a report even when they are unsure the complaint qualifies, and the FTC says reporting helps it stop scammers and protect your community.

Q: How do I know a call or message from the FTC or IC3 is fake?

A: Both agencies say they will never threaten you or ask you to transfer money, withdraw cash or buy gold. The IC3 adds that it will never contact you directly to request money or information.

Q: What should I have ready before filing an IC3 complaint?

A: Details about the person affected and the scammer, plus the account information, transaction date and amount, and who received the money. Save or print your submitted complaint right away, because the IC3 does not email a copy.

This article is for general information and education only and isn’t personal financial, tax or legal advice. Rates, fees and rules change, so check current details with the provider or an official source before making decisions.