You did everything right, and it still happened — or it almost happened, and you caught it just in time. Either way, you are now wondering what to do with the fake text, the imposter call, or the money you sent. One of the most useful things you can do takes only a few minutes, costs nothing, and helps protect thousands of other people: report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The FTC is the U.S. government's main consumer protection agency, and its reporting site, ReportFraud.ftc.gov, is where Americans report fraud, scams, and bad business practices. This guide walks you through the process step by step — what to gather before you start, exactly what the form asks, how identity theft reports work differently, and what honestly happens after you submit.
Before You Start: What the FTC Does — and Does Not Do
A quick dose of honesty will save you disappointment later.
The FTC does not investigate individual complaints, resolve your personal case, or get your money back for you. If getting your payment reversed is your goal, your bank or card issuer is the place to start, and you should contact them first if the payment just happened.
What the FTC does do is just as important. Your report goes into a secure database shared with law enforcement agencies across the country and around the world. Investigators use these reports to spot patterns, identify scam networks, build cases, shut down operations, and — in some large enforcement actions — return money to groups of victims. The FTC also uses report data to publish warnings about the scams that are active right now, so other consumers can avoid them.
In short: reporting will not fix your case by itself, but without reports, the agencies that stop scams are working blind.
Step 1: Gather Your Details First
The form is easier if you spend two minutes collecting what you know. Do not worry if some of it is missing — report what you have.
- How the scammer contacted you: phone, text, email, social media, a website, or mail
- The date and roughly the time it happened
- The name, number, username, email address, or website the scammer used (even if it was fake)
- What the scammer asked for and what you were promised
- How much money you lost, and how you paid — card, bank transfer, gift card, payment app, cash, or cryptocurrency
- Any screenshots, messages, receipts, or transaction IDs you saved
If you are short on time, do not let missing details stop you. A partial report is far more useful than no report.
Step 2: Go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- Open your browser and type the address yourself: ReportFraud.ftc.gov (https://ReportFraud.ftc.gov). Typing it yourself matters — scammers create look-alike "report a scam" pages, and searching can surface ads for fake recovery services. The real FTC site is free and will never ask you to pay or to hand over bank login details.
- On the homepage, click the button to file a report ("Report Now" or similar wording — the site is updated from time to time).
- Choose the category that best matches what happened. The form offers choices such as imposter scams, online shopping problems, investment scams, sweepstakes and lottery scams, phone scams, and other categories. Pick the closest one; there is no wrong answer that ruins your report.
Step 3: Answer the Questions About What Happened
The form will walk you through a short series of screens. You will typically be asked:
- How did it start? How the scammer first reached you and what they said.
- What did they ask for? Money, gift cards, personal information, remote access to your device, or something else.
- Did you pay or share information? If yes, how much, when, and by what method. If nothing was lost, say so — attempted scams are worth reporting too.
- Details about the scammer. Any names, numbers, profiles, websites, or company names they used, plus a description of events in your own words.
Write plainly and factually, in the order things happened. You do not need legal language, and you do not need to prove anything. If the scammer impersonated a real company or agency — your bank, the IRS, a delivery company — name it, because impersonation is one of the details investigators track most closely.
Step 4: Add Your Contact Details (Optional but Useful)
Near the end, the form asks for your name and contact information. Providing it is optional. If you do, investigators can reach you if your report becomes part of a bigger case, and in large enforcement actions the FTC sometimes contacts victims about refunds obtained from scammers. The FTC keeps your information in its secure law-enforcement database; it is not published as part of a public complaint for everyone to read.
Step 5: Review, Submit, and Save Your Confirmation
- Review your answers on the summary screen and fix anything that looks wrong.
- Submit the report.
- Save or print the confirmation and any reference information the site gives you, and keep it with the evidence you gathered. If you later talk to your bank, card issuer, or the police, being able to say "I filed an FTC report on this date" strengthens your file.
That is the whole process. Most people finish in about five to ten minutes.
Special Case: If Your Identity Was Stolen, Use IdentityTheft.gov Instead
ReportFraud.ftc.gov is for scams and fraud in general. If someone used your Social Security number or other personal information — to open accounts, file taxes, get medical care, or take over your accounts — use the FTC's dedicated site, IdentityTheft.gov (https://www.IdentityTheft.gov).
That site does more than take a report. Based on your answers, it creates an official FTC Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan with pre-filled letters and step-by-step instructions for disputing fraudulent accounts and placing a credit freeze. Creditors and credit bureaus take that report seriously, so for identity theft it is the right front door.
Should You Report Anywhere Else?
Depending on what happened, one or two more reports can help:
- Online scams: If the scam happened over the internet — a fake store, a social media scheme, a phishing email — file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov (https://www.ic3.gov).
- Your bank or card issuer: If money moved, report it to them directly and immediately. This is the step that can affect whether a payment is stopped or disputed.
- The platform: Report the scammer's account on the social media site, marketplace, or app where it happened, so the account can be removed.
- Local police: Consider a report to your local department, especially for identity theft or large losses, so there is a local record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does reporting to the FTC cost anything?
No. Reporting at ReportFraud.ftc.gov is completely free, and the real site will never ask for payment, gift cards, or your bank login. If a "report a scam" website asks you to pay, close it — you are looking at a look-alike or a recovery scam.
Will the FTC get my money back?
Not directly, and anyone who promises otherwise is misleading you. The FTC does not resolve individual cases. Sometimes, when the FTC wins a large case against a scam company, refunds are sent to victims as a group — one more reason to file your report with accurate contact details. For your own payment, your bank or card issuer is your best path.
Can I report a scam anonymously?
You can file a report without giving your name and contact details. Investigators can still use the information about the scam itself. Adding your contact information helps if they need to follow up or if refunds from an enforcement case become available, but it is your choice.
I only got a suspicious text and lost nothing. Is it still worth reporting?
Yes. Reports about attempted scams show the FTC which schemes are active right now — fake delivery texts, toll scams, imposter calls — and those patterns drive public warnings and enforcement priorities. Your two-minute report can be the reason a warning reaches someone else in time.
Your Report Is Part of How Scams Get Stopped
No single report shuts down a scam operation. Thousands of reports, added together, show investigators exactly who is being targeted, what the script is, and where the money flows. Filing yours at ReportFraud.ftc.gov is quick, free, and genuinely useful — to the agencies tracking these criminals, to the next person on the scammer's list, and to your own records if you ever need to prove what happened and when.
Scam Guard USA provides general education about scams, not legal or financial advice. For help with your specific situation, contact your bank, local law enforcement, or a qualified professional.
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