Who should I report a scam to first?

If money has moved, contact your bank immediately to attempt a recall. Then report to your national agency — FTC (US), Action Fraud (UK), Scamwatch (AU), CAFC (CA) — and to the platform where the scam occurred.

Will reporting a scam get my money back?

Sometimes. Card payments and many push payments can be reversed if reported within hours. Crypto is rarely recoverable. Reporting also blocks the scammer from reaching others.

Where do I report a scam website?

Report to Google Safe Browsing, the registrar's abuse email (found in WHOIS), the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and Scam AI so future searches flag it.

Can I report a scam anonymously?

Most government channels accept anonymous reports, but giving contact details lets investigators ask follow-up questions and increases the chance of action.

What evidence should I gather before reporting?

Screenshots of conversations, URLs, transaction IDs, wallet addresses, sender email headers, phone numbers, and any names or company numbers given. Save copies before blocking.

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How to Report a Scam

A step-by-step guide to reporting a scam to the right authorities, your bank, and the platforms involved — so you maximise your chance of recovery and stop it spreading.

Key Takeaways

Contact your bank within hours — speed matters more than anything else.
Report to your national fraud agency (FTC, Action Fraud, Scamwatch, CAFC).
Also report to the platform: Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, the dating app, the registrar.
Gather screenshots, URLs, transaction IDs and wallet addresses BEFORE blocking.
Reporting blocks the scammer from reaching the next victim — even when recovery fails.

Step 1 — Stop the bleeding

If money has just moved, call your bank's fraud line now. Card payments and many instant payments can be recalled if reported within the first few hours. For crypto, contact the exchange — large platforms can sometimes freeze deposits.

Step 2 — Preserve evidence

Before you block or delete, screenshot the entire conversation, copy the full email headers, save URLs, transaction IDs, crypto wallet addresses, phone numbers, names and company numbers. Investigators cannot act on a verbal summary.

Step 3 — Report to your national agency

Use the official channel for your country:

United States — reportfraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov (FBI)
United Kingdom — actionfraud.police.uk
Australia — scamwatch.gov.au and reportcyber.gov.au
Canada — antifraudcentre.ca
EU — econsumer.gov or your national police cybercrime unit

Step 4 — Report to the platform

Report the scam to Meta, WhatsApp, Telegram, the dating app, the marketplace or the email provider used to contact you. Use the in-app 'report' flow — it routes to a trust-and-safety team that can suspend the account.

Step 5 — Report a scam website to its registrar

Look up the domain on a WHOIS service to find the registrar's abuse email (commonly abuse@namecheap.com, abuse@godaddy.com, etc.). Send the URL, screenshots and a one-line explanation. Also submit to Google Safe Browsing.

Step 6 — File the credit and identity steps if data was exposed

If you shared ID, SSN, tax file number, address or bank details, place a fraud alert with the credit bureaus and file an Identity Theft Report at identitytheft.gov.

Step 7 — Submit to Scam AI

Reporting the URL, phone number or wallet address to Scam AI adds it to our real-time signals so the next person who searches gets a warning before they pay.

Run a free check now

Scam AI cross-references regulator blacklists, business registries, WHOIS history and global fraud reports — in real time, free, no signup.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who should I report a scam to first?: If money has moved, contact your bank immediately to attempt a recall. Then report to your national agency — FTC (US), Action Fraud (UK), Scamwatch (AU), CAFC (CA) — and to the platform where the scam occurred.
Will reporting a scam get my money back?: Sometimes. Card payments and many push payments can be reversed if reported within hours. Crypto is rarely recoverable. Reporting also blocks the scammer from reaching others.
Where do I report a scam website?: Report to Google Safe Browsing, the registrar's abuse email (found in WHOIS), the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and Scam AI so future searches flag it.
Can I report a scam anonymously?: Most government channels accept anonymous reports, but giving contact details lets investigators ask follow-up questions and increases the chance of action.
What evidence should I gather before reporting?: Screenshots of conversations, URLs, transaction IDs, wallet addresses, sender email headers, phone numbers, and any names or company numbers given. Save copies before blocking.