How to Report a Scam: FTC, IC3, and the Steps That Actually Do Something

Getting scammed feels awful. And once the shock fades, most people face the same question: now what?

Reporting is the answer, but a vague one. Most people don't know where to go, what information to include, or whether filing a report actually changes anything. This guide covers all of that, step by step, so you can act quickly and give your report the best possible chance of doing something useful.

Before you report: gather your evidence

Speed matters, but so does what you bring with you. A detailed report is more useful to investigators than a vague one. If you wired money, though, call your bank first (see below) and gather the rest afterward. Before you open any reporting form, take a few minutes to collect the following.

What to document:

• Contact details from the scammer: email addresses, phone numbers, social media handles, website URLs, and any usernames they used.
• A timeline: when you were first contacted, what they said, how the situation unfolded, and what they ultimately asked you to do.
• Financial records: transaction IDs, amounts, dates, payment methods (wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency, credit card), and any account or routing numbers involved.
• Screenshots: capture emails, texts, social media messages, fake websites, and payment confirmations. Include visible timestamps wherever you can.
• Email headers: if the scam happened over email, save the raw headers. In Gmail, open the message, click More (the three dots), and select "Show original." In Outlook, open the message's properties or details (steps vary by version). These help investigators trace where the email actually came from.
• Chat logs: export these before the scammer can delete their account.

Keep originals unaltered, and work from copies if you need to share anything. IC3's form says you don't need to upload evidence, but you should keep the originals in case investigators ask for them.

How to report to the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the place to report most consumer scams, including fake online stores, prize and lottery fraud, imposter scams, and unwanted charges. If you paid, contact your bank or payment provider first. Visit ReportFraud.ftc.gov to file. If your identity was stolen, report it at IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan.

The form asks you to describe what happened in plain language, the category of scam, and any details about who contacted you or what you paid. You don't need legal terminology. Just describe what happened.

The agency uses this data to spot fraud patterns, identify active scam operations, and build cases. Your individual report joins thousands of others, and collectively, they help the FTC and its law enforcement partners spot scams and bring cases.

Consumers reported losing $15.9 billion to fraud in 2025, the highest on record, including $7.9 billion to investment scams, according to the FTC's March 2026 testimony to Congress and its June 2026 release. In 2024, the figure was more than $12.5 billion (FTC). The FTC can't resolve individual cases, but your report is part of the evidence base it builds cases from.

Want a fuller picture of how online scams work and what to watch for? Guardio's complete guide to online scams and phishing walks through every major attack type in plain language.

How to report to IC3

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is run by the FBI and handles internet-enabled crimes: online fraud, phishing, identity theft, business email compromise, ransomware, and more. Go to ic3.gov and click "File a Complaint."

IC3 takes complaints through its online form at ic3.gov. It asks for your contact details, a description of the incident, and any financial transaction information. Be specific with dollar amounts, dates, account numbers, and the methods the scammer used. Vague answers give analysts less to work with.

One important note: after you submit, save or print the confirmation page. IC3 doesn't email you a copy, so that page is your only record of filing.

IC3 analysts review submissions and look for patterns, and complaints may be referred to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement. IC3 itself doesn't conduct investigations and won't contact you directly, though an agency that receives your complaint may reach out if it needs more information. IC3 does connect the dots between what often look like isolated incidents.

In 2025, IC3 received 1,008,597 complaints with reported losses of $20.9 billion, up 26% from 2024, according to its 2025 annual report. The scale of that database is what makes reporting valuable. Your case may look unique, but it's likely part of a pattern.

One warning: scammers pose as FBI or IC3 staff and offer to recover your money or "update your IC3 report," sometimes using fake IC3 websites. IC3 says it won't contact you directly by phone, email, or social media and never asks for payment to recover funds, so type ic3.gov into your browser yourself (IC3 alert, July 2026).

If you wired money, act in the next 72 hours

This section applies specifically if you transferred money via wire. If you did, time matters, because recovery is most likely when you act quickly.

The FBI operates a Recovery Asset Team (RAT) that works with banks to freeze fraudulent wire transfers before the money moves further. Through its Financial Fraud Kill Chain, the RAT can ask the receiving bank to freeze funds on domestic and international wires if your complaint meets criteria the FBI doesn't publish.

Here's the order of operations:

1. Call your bank immediately and ask them to initiate a wire recall. Ask about a Hold Harmless Letter or Letter of Indemnity too, which the FBI recommends requesting.
2. File your IC3 complaint right away, with every transaction detail you have: amounts, dates, bank names, routing numbers, and account numbers. Complaints that meet the FBI's criteria are forwarded to the recipient's bank.
3. Don't wait for perfect information. File with what you have and update the complaint later if needed.

In 2025, the Recovery Asset Team froze about $679 million of $1.16 billion in attempted theft across 3,900 incidents (a 58% success rate), compared with $561.6 million and 66% in 2024 (FBI IC3 annual reports). Those figures cover only incidents where the process was initiated, and the sooner you report, the better.

Other places worth reporting to

The FTC and IC3 are the two most important stops, but they're not the only ones. Depending on what happened to you, these additional reports can help.

• Your state attorney general: Most states have consumer protection divisions that handle local scams. Search for your state attorney general's office to find their consumer fraud reporting page.
• The Better Business Bureau (BBB): BBB Scam Tracker lets you report scam businesses and search reports others have filed. It's publicly searchable, which helps warn other consumers, so avoid putting personal details in your narrative.
• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): If a scam involved a financial product or service, the CFPB complaint portal forwards your complaint directly to the company and asks for a response. Companies generally respond within 15 days, and a final response can take up to 60 more.
• Your bank or payment provider: Dispute the charge, request a reversal, or ask them to flag the account. Credit card billing-error disputes generally have a 60-day window, so call your issuer right away, and gift card issuers sometimes have fraud departments.
• The platform it happened on: If the scam came through a social media platform, marketplace, or email service, report it directly. Most platforms have dedicated fraud reporting flows.
• U.S. Postal Inspection Service: report scams that involved the mail at uspis.gov/report.
• Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General: report Social Security imposters at oig.ssa.gov.
• The IRS: forward tax-related phishing emails to phishing@irs.gov, and forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM).
• The National Elder Fraud Hotline: if you're 60 or older, call 1-833-372-8311.
• Local police: file a report, especially if you lost money.

These reports work in parallel, not in sequence. You don't have to choose.

What actually happens after you report

Let's be honest about what to expect.

You probably won't get a phone call or a status update. The FTC and IC3 both acknowledge they cannot contact every person who files a report, and recovery isn't guaranteed, especially for gift card payments or cryptocurrency transfers.

What does happen: your report becomes part of a national fraud picture. Investigators look for clusters: the same phone number appearing in many complaints, the same bank account receiving dozens of wire transfers, the same script used across thousands of texts.

The FTC has returned money to consumers through refund programs tied to enforcement cases, including $337.3 million in 2024 (FTC). IC3's Recovery Asset Team has a real track record of freezing funds in many of the incidents it takes on, and the FBI stresses speed. These outcomes aren't guaranteed, but they don't happen at all without people filing.

Protect yourself from what comes next

There's a painful irony in the scam recovery world: many people who were scammed get targeted a second time by "recovery scams." Someone contacts you claiming they can get your money back, for a fee upfront. That's another scam.

No legitimate government agency charges a fee to help you recover money. Reporting to the FTC and IC3 is free, and neither will ask you to pay. If anyone contacts you after a scam offering paid recovery services, report them too.

Your digital security matters in the aftermath as well. If the scam involved your email, financial accounts, or personal information, change your passwords immediately and set up two-factor authentication where you can. If you shared a Social Security number, place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A fraud alert placed with one bureau is passed to the other two and lasts one year (it can be renewed), while a freeze must be placed at each bureau and is free. IdentityTheft.gov can build a personal recovery plan.

Guardio's browsing protection on computers and phones blocks phishing sites before they open and explains why, Email Security flags phishing emails that get past Gmail's spam filter, and Identity protection monitors your email address and phone number for dark web exposure. Guardio can't recover money or file reports for you, and no tool catches everything.

Get a free security scan with Guardio today and stay protected.

Conclusion

Reporting takes some time, but it adds to the evidence investigators use to find and stop scammers. Keep your records, report as quickly as you can, and be wary of anyone who offers to get your money back for a fee.