How to Fill Out and Submit the FTC Fraud Report Form

To file a fraud report with the FTC, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and answer the portal’s guided questions, or call 1-877-382-4357 to give the same information to a representative over the phone.¹² Filing is free, takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and you don’t need receipts, screenshots, or any documents to start.³

Make Sure You’re on the Right FTC Site

The FTC runs two separate portals. ReportFraud.ftc.gov handles scam calls, online shopping problems, impersonators, fake prizes, deceptive businesses, robocalls, and most other consumer fraud. If someone used your personal information to open accounts, file taxes, or make purchases in your name, that is identity theft, and it belongs on IdentityTheft.gov, which builds you a personalized recovery plan, generates pre-filled dispute letters, and produces an official Identity Theft Report you can send to banks and credit bureaus.⁴

Spanish-language versions exist for both. ReporteFraude.ftc.gov mirrors the general fraud portal, and RobodeIdentidad.gov mirrors the identity theft site.⁵

What to Have in Front of You Before You Start

You can file with as much or as little detail as you have.³ But the more specific you are, the more useful the report is to investigators. Gather what you can:

Your name, address, email, and phone number. Anonymous reports are accepted if you’d rather not share this.
Any names, phone numbers, email addresses, and website URLs the scammer used. Copy and paste them directly from your caller ID, email, or browser so they’re exact.
The category of fraud. The portal offers a list ranging from impersonator scams and online shopping problems to fake job offers, health-care fraud, and deceptive debt collection.⁶
The dollar amount you lost, if any, and the date of the transaction.
The payment method: credit card, debit card, wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency, or something else. This matters because recovery options differ. Credit card charges, for example, carry dispute rights under the Fair Credit Billing Act that gift cards and wire transfers do not.⁷
A written description of what happened. The portal has a free-text field. It cannot accept uploaded files, but you can paste the text of emails or messages into the Comments section. Keep the originals; law enforcement may ask for them later.³

Filing Online

At ReportFraud.ftc.gov, click “Get started now.” The portal walks you through a series of questions rather than showing one long form. It begins with what happened, then moves through the scammer’s contact details, payment information, and your own contact information. A review page at the end lets you check everything before you submit.¹

Once you submit, the system returns personalized next steps for protecting yourself or trying to recover money. If you entered an email address, those steps also arrive by email. Save any reference information the system displays in case you want to follow up.

You can also file on someone else’s behalf. If a parent, older relative, or friend was scammed, the portal has an option to indicate you’re reporting for another person and to enter both sets of contact information.³

Filing by Phone

Call 1-877-382-4357 (1-877-FTC-HELP) to report by phone.² A representative enters your answers into the same system that the online portal feeds, so the record is identical. This is the route to use if you don’t have reliable internet or if talking through what happened is easier than typing it.

What the FTC Does With Your Report

Your report goes into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure database that federal, state, local, and select international law enforcement agencies use to build cases against scammers.⁸⁹ The FTC uses the reports to spot patterns, open investigations, and bring enforcement actions that can produce court orders and financial penalties.³

One thing to understand up front: the FTC will not resolve your individual complaint or recover your money for you.³ Your report is a tip that helps investigators see the bigger picture. When the FTC does win a case and collects money from a defendant, it runs a refund program and can identify eligible consumers from its data, so an accurate report on file works in your favor if that ever happens.¹⁰

Reports are shared only with law enforcement agencies that have signed a confidentiality and data security agreement with the FTC. The database is not open to the public, employers, or private companies, and if you filed anonymously there is no personal information to release in the first place.⁹

Other Places Worth Reporting To

An FTC report is a good first move, not the only one. Different agencies handle different pieces of the same fraud, and hitting more than one increases the chance that someone acts.

Your bank or credit card company. Call right away if you paid by card. Credit card issuers must investigate billing disputes under the Fair Credit Billing Act, and you have 60 days from the statement date to challenge an unauthorized or incorrect charge. Debit card transactions carry separate protections under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, with tighter timelines and higher potential liability.⁷¹¹
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov. Use this for online fraud: phishing emails, cryptocurrency investment scams, romance scams, hacked accounts. The FBI asks for reports regardless of the amount lost.¹²
Your state attorney general. Most AG offices have a consumer protection division and a complaint form on their website.
Local police. A police report creates an official record that can support insurance claims, credit disputes, and other recovery steps.

1
Federal Trade Commission. ReportFraud.ftc.gov
2
USAGov. Federal Trade Commission
3
Federal Trade Commission. FAQs – ReportFraud.ftc.gov
4
Federal Trade Commission. Report Identity Theft
5
Federal Trade Commission. New Help for Spotting, Avoiding, and Reporting Scams in Multiple Languages
6
Federal Trade Commission. Descriptions of Report Categories
7
Federal Trade Commission. Fair Credit Billing Act
8
Federal Trade Commission. Consumer Sentinel Network
9
Federal Trade Commission. Consumer Sentinel Network
10
Federal Trade Commission. How the FTC Provides Refunds
11
National Credit Union Administration. Electronic Fund Transfer Act – Regulation E
12
Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI Releases Annual Internet Crime Report