How to Report Scam Calls: Where to File in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia

Your parent just hung up on a scammer. Good. But what comes next matters just as much.

Reporting scam calls feels like shouting into the void — you fill out a form, click submit, and wonder if anyone on the other end actually does anything. But the truth is that fraud reports are the primary source of intelligence for the agencies that track down and dismantle scam operations. The FTC, FBI, Action Fraud, and their international counterparts all rely on consumer reports to identify patterns, trace phone numbers, and build cases against organized fraud networks.

Every report makes the next person a little safer. Here's exactly how to file one.

United States

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

The FTC is the primary consumer protection agency in the US and the best place to report most scam calls.

How to report: Visit ReportFraud.ftc.gov and follow the prompts. You'll describe what happened, provide the phone number that called (if available), and note any money lost.

What happens: Your report goes into a database called Consumer Sentinel, which is shared with thousands of law enforcement agencies nationwide. While the FTC doesn't resolve individual cases, reports help them identify large-scale fraud operations.

FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

For scam calls involving significant financial loss, identity theft, or suspected organized crime, also file a report with the FBI.

How to report: Visit ic3.gov and submit a complaint. Provide as much detail as possible — phone numbers, what the caller said, how they asked for payment, and any information about where money was sent.

Do Not Call Registry complaints

If the call was from a telemarketer (not a criminal scammer), you can file a complaint about a Do Not Call violation.

How to report: Visit donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone that received the call.

Important distinction: The Do Not Call Registry only applies to legitimate businesses. Criminal scammers ignore it entirely. Still worth reporting, but if the call was a scam (threatening arrest, demanding gift cards, impersonating government agencies), report to the FTC and FBI instead.

State Attorney General

Each US state has an Attorney General's office that handles consumer complaints, including phone scams. This is especially useful if the scammer claimed to be from a local organization or utility.

How to find yours: Search "[your state] attorney general consumer complaint" to find the filing page.

United Kingdom

Action Fraud

Action Fraud is the UK's national reporting center for fraud and cybercrime.

How to report: Visit actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm). You'll receive a crime reference number.

What happens: Reports go to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), which analyzes them for patterns and passes actionable intelligence to local police forces.

Ofcom (for nuisance calls)

If the call was a nuisance or marketing call rather than a criminal scam, report it to Ofcom, the communications regulator.

How to report: Visit ofcom.org.uk/complain and select "Unwanted calls and messages."

Telephone Preference Service (TPS)

Register your parent's number with the TPS (tpsonline.org.uk) to reduce legitimate marketing calls. It's the UK equivalent of the Do Not Call Registry. Like its US counterpart, it won't stop criminal scammers, but it reduces the overall volume of unwanted calls.

Canada

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC)

The CAFC is Canada's central agency for collecting fraud reports and intelligence.

How to report: Call 1-888-495-8501 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm Eastern) or report online at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.

What happens: Reports are shared with Canadian law enforcement and international fraud prevention agencies.

National Do Not Call List (DNCL)

Register your parent's number at lnnte-dncl.gc.ca to reduce telemarketing calls. Complaints about violations can be filed at the same site.

CRA scam calls specifically

If the scam call claimed to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (a very common scam targeting Canadian seniors), you can report it directly to the CRA at canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/campaigns/fraud-scams.html.

Australia

Scamwatch (ACCC)

Scamwatch, operated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, is the primary scam reporting service in Australia.

How to report: Visit scamwatch.gov.au and click "Report a scam." Provide details about the call, the phone number, and any money lost.

ACMA (for spam calls)

The Australian Communications and Media Authority handles complaints about spam and telemarketing.

How to report: Visit acma.gov.au to report unwanted calls or messages.

Do Not Call Register

Register your parent's number at donotcall.gov.au to reduce telemarketing calls. Complaints about violations go through the same site.

IDCARE (for identity theft)

If the scammer obtained personal information (bank details, tax file number, etc.), contact IDCARE at idcare.org or call 1800 595 160. IDCARE is Australia and New Zealand's national identity and cyber support service — they help individuals respond to identity theft incidents.

New Zealand

Netsafe

Netsafe is New Zealand's independent online safety organization.

How to report: Visit netsafe.org.nz or call 0508 638 723. They provide advice and can help with reporting.

CERT NZ

For scams involving technology or cybercrime, report to CERT NZ at cert.govt.nz.

Tips for filing an effective report

No matter which country you're in, these details make your report more useful to investigators:

• The phone number that called (check your parent's call log or caller ID)
• The date and time of the call
• What the caller said — as much detail as possible about their script, what they claimed to be, and what they asked for
• How they requested payment — wire transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency, bank transfer
• Any money lost — the amount and how it was sent
• Any personal information shared — Social Security number, bank account, date of birth

Even if you don't have all of this information, file anyway. Partial reports still help agencies identify scam campaigns.

Make reporting easier with a scam call log

Keep a small notebook by your parent's phone — or a note on their phone — where they can jot down the date, time, and caller's claim whenever they receive a suspicious call. This makes it much easier to file reports later, and it also helps your parent practice the habit of questioning calls rather than trusting them automatically.

The Elder Scam Shield guide includes a printable scam call log and Regional Quick-Reference Cards with reporting contacts for the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — all formatted for easy reference. Along with scripts for handling scam calls, a family code word system, and the Refrigerator Defense Sheet, it's a complete protection toolkit for $14.

If scam calls are a recurring problem, you might also want to set up call blocking on your parent's phone. See our guides on the best call blocker apps for seniors and call blockers for landlines.