How to Report Scams or Fraud
When you spot a scam or fraud, you may feel you have a responsibility to let someone know about it. Reporting scams or fraud to the appropriate parties can stop the crimes before they happen and can save people in your community from becoming victims. You can report scams and fraud with some determination to provide as many details of the situation as possible. Making an effective report should take about 30 minutes.
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Instructions
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Gather information about the potential scam or fraud. Write down the type of scam you discovered, the names of those involved, where the scam occurred and any relevant telephone numbers, addresses and email addresses. Write down whether you were contacted by the scammer, who was involved, whether any money or products were exchanged and if the prospective con artist gathered any personal or financial information about you. It is important to maintain credibility when reporting situations like this, and being able to provide consistent information to each agency will help ensure your reports are reliable.
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Contact local law enforcement. Place a call to your local city police department and county sheriff's department. If you do not know the phone numbers to these agencies, click on the link in the Resources section that lists law enforcement agencies or use another similar site and click on the link for your state. Provide as much information about the possible scam or fraud to the law enforcement agency over the phone. A police officer or deputy may visit you to gather additional information. You may provide a detailed report over the phone or you may do so at the office of the law enforcement agency. Fill out a police report by providing information about the fraud or scam, the names of those involved, how much money was requested and the nature of the scheme.
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Call your state attorney general's office. This is the agency that oversees scams and fraud in your state. If you do not know the hotline number for your state attorney general, click on the link in the Resources section for the list of attorney general websites or use another similar site and click on the link for your state; the consumer hotline number is usually listed at the top of the page. Tell a representative about the scam or fraud you want to report, including the names and contact information of those involved with the scheme.
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Notify your local Better Business Bureau. The BBB is a nonprofit organization that often acts as a mediator and watchdog in cases of consumer complaints, scams and fraud. If you do not have the phone number for your local BBB, click on the link in the Resources section for locating a BBB office, type in your city and state and click "Search." Tell a BBB representative about the scam over the phone. Alternately, you can request a complaint form in the mail. Fill out the form as fully as possible and return the form to the BBB at the address provided.
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Report the fraud or scam to your local television, radio and newspaper news organizations. Call and ask to speak with a consumer affairs reporter at a TV station, a general assignment reporter at a radio station or the city editor of a newspaper. Provide as many details as possible to the reporter or editor over the phone and be prepared to fax the organization copies of any relevant documents. News organizations may not send a reporter to meet with you, so provide as much information as possible at first contact. Understand that a newspaper reporter likely would need financial details about the scam or fraud and would take your photograph, because newspaper articles generally go into great details about stories; that radio reporters will likely want any audio tapes that you have recorded regarding the scam; and that TV reporters may want an on-camera interview with you and could want to videotape the scene of the scam.
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Tips & Warnings
Learn all the facts about a situation before you accuse someone of a scam.
Determine if the situation truly is a scam or fraud or is the result of a simple miscommunication or error.
Understand that there may be legal repercussions if a situation is falsely reported as a scam.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit the old jail image by mavrick from Fotolia.com
