How to Report Internet-Related Crime

As the Internet has grown, the level of Internet-related crime has risen as well. Even relatively everyday crimes, such as harassment, now often have an online component. Many law enforcement agencies have created units or task forces to focus specifically on Internet-related crime.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Determine the jurisdiction in which the crime occurred. Generally, because Internet-related crimes tend to cross at least state borders, crimes are considered federal. However, some may have occurred at the state level.
2. Contact your local police office to report crimes that occurred within the state you are located in. Most police offices maintain a phone number for reporting crimes, which will be listed online and in the phone book.
3. Report crimes to the local branch of the FBI, if any part of the crime took place outside of your state. The FBI maintains offices in each state and in most large cities.
4. Inform the US Secret Service directly if the crime in question is hacking or Internet fraud (see Resources below). The Secret Service maintains a task force focused on computer crime.
5. File a complaint with the US Post Office if any part of the crime was perpetrated via the mail. For instance, if you were asked to mail a check to a fraudulent agent, you should contact the Post Office.
6. Report Internet fraud, spam or computer intrusion to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), operated jointly by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (see Resources below). IC3 accepts online complaints and passes them along to the appropriate agency. If you already know which agency has jurisdiction, you may get a quicker response if you contact them directly.

Tips & Warnings

• If you live outside of the US, report crimes to your local law enforcement agency and ask for further directions.
• You will typically be asked for specific information as you file your complaint. It is helpful to gather the following beforehand: your contact information, contact information for the person or group who committed the crime and specific details as to the nature of the crime.
• You can file complaints in the US as long as one of the parties involved in the crime is located in the US. However, it is usually very difficult to act on international claims.