How to Report Someone As a Scammer

Scammers aim to steal your money and your identity.

Scammers use an array of methods to defraud you of your money or your identity, including traditional mail, telephone and the Internet. To counteract fraudulent individuals and organizations, local, state and federal agencies provide resources where you can report scammers. These agencies protect you and the public from being further victimized. They create a database of scamming activities and, at times, prosecute individuals for criminal activity. You may have to report to more than one agency, depending on the method used to execute the scam.

Instructions

1. Send an email to the real company the scammer claims to represent. Do not respond to links or reply to emails sent by fraudulent representatives. They often create websites that look like legitimate companies, so search for the real websites. Companies, including eBay and Craigslist, have protocols to report scammers falsely representing them. Other websites provide reporting steps through their customer service departments.

2. Call your financial institution, credit card company and debt collection agency. If you have a legitimate debt, call the company to find out when they turned it over to collections and get the name, address and phone number of the collection agency. You should call your financial institution so that they can look out for unauthorized transactions.

3. Contact your state's attorney general's office to report scammers. The attorney general's office protects the public against criminal activity and prosecutes offenders. The National Association of Attorneys General provides a listing of current state attorney generals and their contact information. You may also be able to find a link through your state government website.

4. File a online report with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The Postal Inspection Service works with the U.S. Attorney General's office and local police departments to identify and prosecute companies or individuals who use traditional and online mail for fraudulent purposes. The website provides all the steps needed to complete a report based on the type of scam.

5. Send a letter to the U.S. Secret Service. The Secret Service works on fraud cases in which you have suffered large financial losses, such as the Nigerian and South African schemes.

6. File a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center. The IC3 works in conjunction with the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center and Bureau of Justice Assistance to stop Internet crimes. According to the IC3 website, your report should include personal information -- your name, mailing address, phone number. You should then provide the name, address, phone number and web address of the fraudulent company or person; and details about why you think you have been defrauded.

7. Write the Federal Trade Commission's Complaint Assistant. The FTC protects consumers against fraudulent business practices, including scamming practices like work at home, pyramid schemes and investments. Its website has an online complaint form on the FTC Complaint Assistant. You must enter your contact information and a representative calls you for further information.

8. Contact the Internal Revenue Service for tax scams. If you receive an email claiming to be the IRS, forward the email to [e-mail], call the IRS or mail a letter to them with a copy of the suspect email.

References

• Internet Crime Complaint Center: File a Complaint
• Federal Trade Commission: FTC Complaint Assistant
• IRS.gov: What is phishing?
• United States Postal Inspection Service: File a Complaint