If you have been scammed, it is crucial that you file a complaint with the linked organizations and with law enforcement such as your local police station. We scambaiters cannot and will not replace traditional law enforcement processes.
Generally speaking, the first thing to do is to contact your bank/credit card company or any company or service you used to send money to the scammers. It is important to do that as soon as possible because there are chances to reverse payments depending on the mode of payment, but they are usually just within the first 24 hours. If you sent the money over cryptocurrency networks, it is impossible to reverse the payments. There is still a chance to recover the money if the authorities can seize the money on the scammer’s wallet if it’s on an exchange. Also, never trust “hackers” on Instagram/Twitter/X/Youtube that claim they can recover your money, it’s a scam!
Click on the links that suit your situation and report as many details as possible to make it easier for the organizations to cluster the information correctly. Don’t despair if you don’t hear back from them for several weeks or months. Investigations may take about a year to take place and sometimes the police will gather multiple cases and then investigate them as a combined case.
FBI IC3 Cyber Crime – File a Complaint
Who should file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
You may file a complaint with the IC3 if you believe you have been the victim of an Internet crime or if you want to file on behalf of another person you believe has been such a victim.
How does the IC3 define Internet crime?
Internet crime includes any illegal activity involving one or more components of the Internet, such as websites, chat rooms, and/or email. Internet crime involves the use of the Internet to communicate false or fraudulent representations to consumers. These crimes may include, but are not limited to, advance-fee schemes, non-delivery of goods or services, computer hacking, or employment/business opportunity schemes.
Can I file a complaint if I am a citizen of the United States but have been victimized by an individual or company outside of the United States?
If either the victim or the alleged subject of the Internet crime is located within the United States, you may file a complaint with the IC3.
FTC – Report Unwanted Call
Use this tool by the US Federal Trade Commission to report unwanted telephone calls, such as telemarketers, possibly debt collectors, and other robocalls. Those calls could be in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) as well as the Tele Sales Rule (TSR) and thus the corresponding company can be prosecuted for it.
FTC – Report Fraud
What can I report?
Report anything you think may be a fraud, scam, or bad business practice. For ideas of what you might report to the FTC, check out consumer.ftc.gov for more information and advice, or take a look at the FTC’s latest cases at ftc.gov.
Should I still report something to the FTC if I already reported it to another agency?
Yes, it’s a good idea to report it to ReportFraud.ftc.gov, too. One exception — if you reported a financial issue to the CFPB (like debt collection, credit report, or bank issues), you don’t need to report it again here.
Can I file a report if I don’t live in the U.S.?
If you live outside the U.S. or want to report an international scam, you can use econsumer.gov to file your report. It will then be included in the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel database. Econsumer.gov is a partnership of more than 35 consumer protection agencies around the world and helps identify trends and prevent international scams. It’s available in English, Spanish, French, German, Korean, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish.
UK ActionFraud – Report Fraud
Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime where you should report fraud if you have been scammed, defrauded or experienced cyber crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We provide a central point of contact for information about fraud and financially motivated internet crime. People are scammed, ripped off or conned everyday and we want this to stop. The service is run by the City of London Police working alongside the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) who are responsible for assessment of the reports and to ensure that your fraud reports reach the right place. The City of London Police is the national policing lead for economic crime.
Microsoft – Report Tech Support Scam
If you have been contacted through unsolicited phone calls, emails, pop-up messages or other means by someone claiming to be from, or associated with, Microsoft and believe it was a scam, you can use this form to report all the information regarding your interaction with them.
The information you provide will assist Microsoft in ongoing investigations with law enforcement as we take appropriate action against businesses targeting our customers, and will NOT be used to contact you for general marketing purposes.
eConsumer: Report International Scams Online
econsumer.gov is where you can report international scams and learn about other steps you can take to combat fraud. Your complaints help consumer protection agencies around the world spot trends and work together to prevent international scams. econsumer.gov is a partnership of more than 40 consumer protection agencies around the world. Your complaint helps authorities spot trends and combat fraud.
Indian National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs’ National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal is used to facilitate victims/complainants to report cyber crime complaints online. This portal caters to complaints pertaining to cyber crimes only with special focus on cyber crimes against women and children. Complaints reported on this portal are dealt by law enforcement agencies/ police based on the information available in the complaints. It is imperative to provide correct and accurate details while filing a complaint for prompt action. For more information and a support hotline number, check out this article in Indian Express which explains everything in detail.
Additionally, you can contact the SaveThem India Foundation. Victims who have been conned by cyber frauds are requested to write to [email protected] with all material evidences & complaint copy filed with the nearest Police Station or online. We at will ensure the best of our support to the officials for your case!
Australia Police: ReportCyber
This is the website of the Australian Federal Police and their ReportCyber portal to report cybercrime. The AFP is responsible for detecting, preventing, disrupting, responding to and enforcing cybercrime offences impacting the whole of the Australian economy. It focuses on investigating cybercrime threats against Commonwealth Government departments, critical infrastructure and information systems of national significance, with a key element being the banking and financial sector. The AFP is guided by Commonwealth priorities for combatting cybercrime.
Bundesnetzagentur: Report German Scam Telephone Numbers
Bundesnetzagentur is the German equivalent to the FCC in the United States. They are handling all network- and telephone-related issues and complaints. If you have found a fraudulent German telephone number (+49) from a tech support scam popup then report it here. Make sure to include the popup link as well as the screenshot of the popup.
Scammer.info: Scambaiting Forum
This is our forum where you can discuss scams or report individual companies to our experienced scambaiters who will assist you in gathering more information about the suspect as well as helping you out with further instructions in case you have been scammed. Also, you can learn here how to do scambaiting yourself and you will find all sorts of valuable resources and tutorials on here.