How to Report a Scam to the FTC, FBI, and Other Agencies: A Complete Guide

The scam already happened. Your parent wired money to someone who vanished. Or they gave their Social Security number to a caller pretending to be from the IRS. Or they've been sending gift cards to a "grandchild" for weeks.

You feel sick, angry, and overwhelmed. And then you realize you have no idea who to call.

The reporting landscape for fraud in the United States is genuinely confusing. There are federal agencies, state agencies, local police, banks, and consumer protection bureaus — each with their own portal, jurisdiction, and purpose. This guide cuts through the confusion and tells you exactly who to contact, in what order, and what each agency actually does with your report.

Why reporting matters (even if the money is gone)

Before we get into the how, let's address the elephant in the room: most people don't report because they believe nothing will come of it. And honestly, recovering stolen money is difficult. But reporting still matters for three critical reasons:

1. Pattern building. Your report becomes part of a larger dataset that helps agencies identify scam networks, shut down operations, and prevent future victims. Many major enforcement actions began with individual complaints.
2. Legal documentation. A report creates an official record that can support insurance claims, bank disputes, civil lawsuits, and even tax deductions for theft losses.
3. Protecting your parent. Once your parent's information is in a scammer's database, they're likely to be targeted again. Reporting creates a paper trail that helps if future fraud occurs.

Step 1: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

The FTC is the primary federal agency for consumer fraud complaints. While the FTC doesn't investigate individual cases, it maintains the largest consumer fraud database in the country — the Consumer Sentinel Network — which is shared with over 2,800 law enforcement agencies.

How to file:

• Online: ReportFraud.ftc.gov — this is the fastest option
• By phone: 1-877-382-4357 (1-877-FTC-HELP)
• In Spanish: 1-877-382-4357, then press 2

What you'll need:

• Description of what happened (when, how much, what type of scam)
• Contact information for the scammer (if available) — phone numbers, email addresses, website URLs, mailing addresses
• How payment was made (wire transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency, credit card)
• Your parent's contact information

For identity theft specifically: If your parent's personal information was compromised (SSN, bank account numbers, credit card numbers), file a separate identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov. This creates a personalized recovery plan and generates an FTC Identity Theft Report that can be used to dispute fraudulent charges and accounts.

Time to complete: 15-20 minutes.

Step 2: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

The FBI's IC3 is the go-to for internet-enabled crimes, which includes most modern scams — even those that started with a phone call, since the money usually moves electronically.

How to file:

• Online only: ic3.gov
• Navigate to "File a Complaint" and follow the prompts

When to use IC3 specifically:

• Romance scams and "pig butchering" investment fraud
• Wire fraud (money sent via bank wire transfer)
• Business email compromise
• Online purchase scams
• Cryptocurrency fraud
• Any scam involving the internet, email, or text messaging

Why IC3 matters for elder fraud: The FBI has a dedicated Elder Fraud unit and has conducted several major sweeps (including "Operation Gold Ager" and annual elder fraud crackdowns) using data from IC3 complaints. In 2023, IC3 reported that adults over 60 submitted over 101,000 complaints.

Time to complete: 20-30 minutes.

Step 3: Your parent's state Attorney General

Every state Attorney General has a consumer protection division that handles fraud complaints. State AGs often have more direct enforcement power than federal agencies for scams operating within state borders.

How to find yours:

• Visit the National Association of Attorneys General at naag.org and search by state
• Most state AG offices accept complaints online, by phone, and by mail

State AGs are especially useful for:

• Scams involving local businesses or individuals
• Home repair scams, contractor fraud, or predatory lending
• Cases where you want state-level investigation
• Situations where the abuser is a known person (not an anonymous call center)

Time to complete: 15-20 minutes.

Step 4: Local police

File a report with the police department in the jurisdiction where your parent lives. Even though local police typically can't investigate sophisticated interstate or international scams, the police report itself serves several practical purposes:

• Required by many banks for fraud disputes
• Needed for insurance claims
• Creates an official record in case the scam escalates
• May trigger referral to a dedicated elder abuse unit or financial crimes division

Ask for the report number and a copy of the written report.

Time to complete: 30-60 minutes (in person is often faster than phone).

Step 5: The bank or financial institution

If money was transferred from a bank account, credit card, or investment account, contact the institution immediately:

• Bank wire transfers: Call the fraud department. Wire transfers can sometimes be reversed if reported within 24-72 hours. The chances drop dramatically after that.
• Credit card charges: Dispute the charge under the Fair Credit Billing Act. Credit card companies generally have stronger consumer protections than banks for fraud.
• Investment accounts: Contact the brokerage and file a complaint with FINRA at finra.org/investors/have-problem.
• Gift cards: Contact the gift card issuer. Recovery is rare, but it creates a record and some companies maintain fraud databases.

Step 6: Additional agencies for specific scam types

Depending on the type of scam, additional specialized reporting may be appropriate:

Social Security scams:

• Report to the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov

Medicare fraud:

• Call 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477)
• Report online at oig.hhs.gov

IRS impersonation scams:

• Report to TIGTA (Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration) at tigta.gov

Mail fraud:

• Report to the US Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov

Elder abuse (any type):

• Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 to reach Adult Protective Services

A realistic reporting checklist

You don't have to file with every agency at once. Here's a priority order:

1. Immediately: Call the bank to freeze accounts or dispute charges (time-sensitive)
2. Same day: File a police report (you'll need the report number for other filings)
3. Within 24 hours: File with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
4. Within 24 hours: File with IC3 at ic3.gov (if the scam involved the internet)
5. Within a week: Contact your state Attorney General
6. Within a week: File with specialized agencies relevant to the scam type
7. Ongoing: Follow up with each agency as needed

After you report: Protecting your parent from re-victimization

Once a senior has been scammed, they're placed on "sucker lists" — databases of proven victims that are sold among scammers. Your parent is now a higher-value target than before.

Post-reporting protections include:

• Freezing credit at all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion)
• Changing passwords and PINs on all financial accounts
• Setting up bank alerts for unusual transactions
• Installing call-blocking software
• Having a frank (but gentle) conversation about what happened and what to watch for next time

For a complete post-scam recovery toolkit — including a printable reporting checklist, credit freeze walkthrough, and the Refrigerator Defense Sheet — the Elder Scam Shield organizes everything into one step-by-step guide for $14.

Related reading:

• How to Report Elder Financial Abuse: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Scams Targeting Seniors in 2026: The Complete Guide
• Protecting Elderly Parents From Financial Abuse: 8 Safeguards