Been scammed?

Report the scam

Reporting is important because it can help prevent the cybercriminals and scammers from hurting other people, and it can help you get your money back in some cases. Here's a reporting checklist:

  1. 1

    Contact the bank or financial service

    If you sent money or shared payment info, contact the company as soon as possible. Ask to freeze your account, reverse the transaction, and issue a new card, if appropriate. The faster you report, the more likely you are to get your money back.

  2. 2

    Document as much as you can

    Try to save as much as you can about the incident. Screenshot conversations, save emails, note phone numbers, usernames, payment details, and dates. Write a narrative of what happened while it's fresh in your memory. This can be really helpful for bank disputes, police reports, and insurance claims.

  3. 3

    Report the scammer on every platform that is involved

    This might be a shopping website, a social media platform, email, or any other app. If there was an interaction on the app, report it. This helps take bad accounts owned by scammers out of circulation and can protect other people. For example, if a seller on Amazon never sent me an item, and they contacted me by email from a Gmail account, I would contact Amazon and Google to report what happened.

  4. 4

    Report to the authorities

    File reports with your local police, the FTC (ReportFraud.ftc.gov), and the FBI's IC3 (ic3.gov). These reports help the government understand how prevalent cybercrime is, and over time will lead to more resources being devoted to it. Your report also might (although it's unlikely) be added to an existing investigation or start a new one — you never know!

Get a personalized reporting plan

Tell us what happened with Scam Check, and we'll create a personalized reporting plan for you.

Get help

Where your money went

Start here if you paid. These are the only channels that can freeze an account, reverse a payment, or reissue a card, and all of them work better the same day.

Your Bank or Credit Card Issuer

Dispute fraudulent charges, request chargebacks, and freeze compromised accounts

Payment App Fraud Teams (Venmo, Cash App, Zelle)

Report scam payments sent through Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle

PayPal Resolution Center

Dispute unauthorized transactions, report seller fraud, and file claims through PayPal's Resolution Center

Cryptocurrency Exchanges (Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, etc.)

Report scam transactions and fraudulent activity on cryptocurrency exchanges

Where the scam happened

Report the account, listing, or message to the company it ran on. That takes the scammer out of circulation for the next person.

Amazon Customer Service

Report fraudulent sellers, request A-to-Z Guarantee refunds, and forward phishing emails pretending to be Amazon

Apple Support

Report phishing emails, request App Store and iTunes refunds, and report fraudulent calls claiming to be Apple

Google Safety Center

Report phishing emails in Gmail, flag unsafe websites through Safe Browsing, and dispute unauthorized Google Pay transactions

Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp)

Report fake profiles, scam ads, phishing messages, and hacked accounts across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp

eBay

Report fake listings, items not received, and seller fraud on eBay

Were they pretending to be a company?

Report it to that company too, even though the scam did not really come from them. They can kill the account, pull the listing, and warn other customers. Each link below goes to that brand's own fraud channel.

See all 138 companies scammers impersonate

Government agencies

These build the case and the statistics. None of them will get your money back, so file them after the two groups above.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

The main federal agency for reporting fraud, scams, and bad business practices

FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

Report internet crimes, large financial losses, and international scams

IdentityTheft.gov

Create a personalized recovery plan if someone used your personal information

Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG)

Report scams involving Social Security numbers, benefits, or impersonation

Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)

Report scams where someone pretends to be from the IRS

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Report investment fraud, Ponzi schemes, and fake trading platforms

United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)

Report scams involving the U.S. mail, like fake checks, lottery letters, and mail theft

State Attorney General's Office

File complaints about businesses, charities, and consumer fraud in your state

Local Law Enforcement

File a police report for scams involving local crimes, threats, or in-person fraud