Reporting Scams - Who deals with what?
Depending on the country you live in, you need to contact different organizations. In most cases, with will be your local 'High Tech Crimes Unit' (Ask your local police authority if they have one). In the US, there are a surprisingly large number of different Governmental and non-Governmental Agencies that have claim responsibility for investigating, managing and prosecuting Internet Fraud. The Secret Service and the US Post Office are on this list, along with the FBI and FCC, and many you probably have never heard of. The best bet is to find the one that most matches your complaint and work down the list.
Get your problem to the right people, quick enough and you may just help to get some of these people put away!
If you just want to let everyone know about a scam that you've encountered, log it with the Scamdex Scam Tip Logger. We'll make sure the word gets around!
Anti-Scam Resources (who you gonna call?)
New! Scamdex is creating a community database of scam-fighting resources and needs help in adding information to it. Please go to the Scam Resource Database and help out. Federal Trade Commission |
The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection investigates companies or organizations involved in Internet scams. While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems, your complaint helps them investigate fraud, and can lead to law enforcement action. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel®, a secure, online database available
to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide.
Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP | TTY: 1-866-653-4261 |
Lottery, Phishing, Advance-Fee |
 US Secret Service |
The Secret Service investigates crimes associated with financial institutions. Today, this jurisdiction includes bank fraud, access device fraud involving credit and debit cards, telecommunications and computer crimes, fraudulent identification, fraudulent government and commercial securities, and electronic funds transfer fraud. To file a complaint or to get free information, visit www.secretservice.gov or call  (202) 406-5708 |
Advance-Fee |
 US Postal Inspection Service |
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the law enforcement branch of the U.S. Postal Service, empowered by federal laws and regulations to investigate and enforce over 200 federal statutes related to crimes against the U.S. Mail, the Postal Service and its employees.
Postal Inspectors investigate any crime in which the U.S. Mail is used to further a scheme, whether it originated in the mail, by telephone or on the Internet. The use of the U.S. Mail is what makes it a mail fraud issue. If you feel you've been victimized in a mail fraud scheme that in any way involves the U.S. Mail, submit a Mail Fraud Complaint Form to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. |
Classified, Advance-Fee, Phishing |
The Department of State's mission is to create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community. As part of that mission, the Department of State seeks to minimize the impact of international crime, including cross-border internet scams, on the United States and its citizens. Read their guide to Avoiding Advancefee Fraud. |
Advance-Fee | |
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| The IFCC is a partnership between the FBI and NW3C and it's mission it to address fraud committed over the Internet. For victims of Internet fraud, IFCC provides a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of a suspected criminal or civil violation. For law enforcement and regulatory agencies at all levels, IFCC offers a central repository for complaints related to Internet fraud, works to quantify fraud patterns, and provides timely statistical data of current fraud trends. |
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(Internet Fraud Complaint Center/Internet Crime Complaint Center) | ||
 National Consumers League |
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 National Association of Attorneys General |
Advance-Fee | |
Better Business Bureaus |
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Canada's |
Canada Competition Bureau Lottery, Phishing |
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 Australian Competition and Consumer Commission |
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission encourages vigorous competition in the marketplace and enforces consumer protection and fair trading laws. To file a complaint or to get more information, visit www.accc.gov.au. The ACCC advocates consultation and negotiation as the first and best option to settle disputes, but once the ACCC pursues legal action any sort of mediation becomes less likely. |
Lottery, Phishing |
The United Kingdom's Office of Fair Trading is responsible for making markets work well for consumers. They protect and promote consumer interests throughout the United Kingdom, while ensuring that businesses are fair and competitive. To file a complaint or to get free information, visit www.oft.gov.uk or send an email to enquiries@oft.gsi.gov.uk. |
Lottery, Phishing, Classifieds |
If you think you may have responded to a cross-border scam, file a complaint at www.econsumer.gov, a project of 20 countries of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network. Then visit the FTC's identity theft website at www.ftc.gov/idtheft. While you can't completely control whether you will become a victim of identity theft, you can take some steps to minimize your risk.
If you've responded to a "Nigerian" scheme, contact your local Secret Service field office using contact information from the Blue Pages of your telephone directory, or from www.secretservice.gov/field_offices.shtml.
In addition, report telemarketing fraud and check overpayment scams to your state Attorney General, using contact information at www.naag.org.
Report unsolicited email offers to spam@uce.gov — including offers inviting you to participate in a foreign lottery, looking for help getting money out of a foreign country, or asking you to wire back extra funds from a check you received.
If you receive what looks like lottery material from a foreign country through the postal mail, give it to your local postmaster.
To file a report about Identity Theft, please use the Identity Theft Complaint Form.
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Fraud-Aid.com: First aid for fraud victims
