What Is an IC3 Report? How to File a Cybercrime Complaint

To file an IC3 report, go to ic3.gov, click “File a Complaint,” and complete the online form with your contact information, a description of what happened, and any financial or suspect details you have. Filing takes roughly 20 minutes and is the only channel the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center accepts: there is no phone line or mailing address for complaints.¹ IC3 itself does not investigate. Analysts review each submission, look for patterns, and forward the information to the FBI field office, other federal agency, state or local police, or international partner best positioned to act.²

What to Gather Before You Start

A specific complaint is worth far more to analysts than a vague one, so spend a few minutes organizing before you open the form. Have ready:

Your full name, mailing address, phone number, and email.
Anything identifying the suspect: names, email addresses, phone numbers, website URLs, social media handles, or cryptocurrency wallet addresses.
A timeline of the incident: when it started, how you were first contacted, and what the scammer asked you to do.
Financial details if money changed hands, including routing numbers, account numbers, transaction IDs, amounts, dates, and the payment method used (wire transfer, cryptocurrency, gift card, credit card, and so on).³

You do not need to know the legal name of the crime. If something happened through the internet or over the phone and it cost you money, exposed your accounts, or involved someone impersonating a person or organization, IC3 accepts the complaint.²

Preserving Digital Evidence

The complaint form does not accept file attachments, but the IC3 page advises that law enforcement may later request your evidence and tells you to keep the originals.³ Before you close accounts or delete messages:

Screenshot the scammer’s emails, texts, social profiles, payment confirmations, and any websites they sent you to. Include timestamps where visible.
Save the full raw headers of relevant emails. In Gmail, open the email, click the three-dot menu, and choose “Show original.” In Outlook, open the message properties.
Export chat logs from messaging apps before the other party can delete their account.
Work from copies, not originals. Unaltered originals carry more weight if a case moves forward.

Filing the Complaint

Open ic3.gov and click “File a Complaint.” The site walks you through prompts for your personal information, a narrative description of the incident, and financial transaction details where they apply. Be specific with dollar amounts, dates, account numbers, and the methods the scammer used. Vague answers give analysts less to work with.

Once you submit, save or print the confirmation page that appears. IC3 does not send email confirmations, so that page is your only proof of filing unless you capture it yourself.¹

If New Information Comes In Later

If you learn more after filing, submit an update rather than a fresh complaint. The form includes a field asking whether the submission updates a previously filed complaint.³

Filing on Behalf of Someone Else

You can file for another person, such as an elderly parent or a friend uncomfortable with the online form. The IC3 FAQ confirms this and notes the form has a separate section for your contact information as the filer, distinct from the victim’s details. No power of attorney or special authorization is required.²

If You Wired Money, File Right Now

This is the one situation where hours genuinely matter. The FBI operates a Recovery Asset Team that works to intercept fraudulent wire transfers and freeze funds before they move on. In 2024 the team froze $561.6 million across domestic and international transfers, with a 66% success rate.⁴

For international wires of $50,000 or more, the FBI can activate its Financial Fraud Kill Chain, but only if the transfer occurred within the previous 72 hours and a SWIFT recall notice has been initiated. After that window, recovery is unlikely. For domestic transfers, the Recovery Asset Team contacts the recipient bank to request an account freeze, which also depends on speed.

If you sent a wire to a scammer, do these things in order:

Call your bank and ask them to initiate a wire recall.
File your IC3 complaint immediately, with every transaction detail you have: amounts, dates, bank names, routing numbers, and account numbers. This is what triggers the Recovery Asset Team process.
Do not wait to gather perfect information. File with what you have and update the complaint later.

What Happens After You File

Analysts review the complaint, categorize the crime, and route it to whichever agency is best placed to act, whether an FBI field office, the Secret Service, a state attorney general, or an international partner.² Whether an investigation follows is entirely up to that receiving agency.

Most people who file never hear back. IC3 states plainly: “You will not hear from the IC3.”² That silence is not a sign your report was ignored. Individual complaints feed a larger database that helps investigators connect victims of the same scheme, identify emerging fraud patterns, and build cases that would be impossible from any single report.

If your complaint contributes to a federal prosecution, you may become eligible for the Department of Justice’s Victim Notification System, which sends automated updates about charges, court proceedings, and offender custody status. The FBI’s Victim Services Division also has victim specialists in field offices who can connect you with crisis support and local resources if investigators contact you.⁵

Other Steps to Take Alongside IC3

Filing with IC3 is one piece of a response, not the whole of it. Depending on what happened, several other actions should happen at the same time.

Contact Your Financial Institutions

If any of your bank accounts, credit cards, or payment apps were involved, call each institution directly. Ask them to flag fraudulent transactions, freeze compromised accounts, and issue new numbers or cards. Most banks run 24-hour fraud lines. Speed strengthens your position for disputing charges.

Freeze Your Credit or Set a Fraud Alert

If the scammer got your Social Security number or other information that could be used to open new accounts, place a credit freeze with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A freeze is free, lasts until you lift it, and blocks new credit accounts in your name. A fraud alert is also free, lasts one year, and requires businesses to verify your identity before opening accounts; you only need to contact one bureau, which notifies the other two.⁶

Report Identity Theft Separately to the FTC

If identity theft was involved, file a separate report at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC’s site generates a personalized recovery plan with step-by-step instructions and pre-filled letters for creditors. An FTC identity theft report also qualifies you for an extended fraud alert, which lasts seven years.⁶

File a Local Police Report

Local police often cannot investigate online crime that originates overseas, but a police report creates a paper trail you may need for insurance claims, credit disputes, or convincing creditors you were a victim. Some banks require a police report before reversing fraudulent charges.

1
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Home Page – Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
2
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Frequently Asked Questions
3
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Complaint Form – Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
4
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). 2024 IC3 Annual Report
5
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Victims
6
Federal Trade Commission. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts