Report a Scam
Find where to report, save the details that matter, and understand what reporting can and cannot do.
ScamClarity is not law enforcement and cannot recover money, but we can help you organize the next steps and find where to report.
By ScamClarity
Published Jun 18, 2026Updated Jun 18, 2026
Start here
If money or account access is involved, contact the bank, payment provider, platform, or account provider first. Then file the official report that matches the scam type. Sharing details with ScamClarity may help us review scam patterns later, but it does not replace an official report.
If this just happened
Contacting the bank, payment provider, platform, or account provider may be more urgent than filing an agency report. Official reports still matter, but payment and account containment often comes first.
Stop communicating with the scammer. Do not send more money, codes, screenshots, or identity documents.
Contact the payment provider, bank, card issuer, wire service, gift card issuer, crypto exchange, marketplace, or account provider involved.
Secure affected accounts. Change exposed passwords, revoke suspicious sessions, and turn on multi-factor authentication where possible.
Save evidence before blocking accounts or deleting messages.
File the official report that fits the scam type, payment method, platform, and country.
Watch for recovery scams. Anyone who guarantees recovery for an upfront fee may be running another scam.
Optionally submit details to ScamClarity for review after the urgent payment and account steps are handled.
Recovery scammers often target people after the first loss. Be careful with anyone who guarantees recovery, asks for upfront payment, wants remote access, requests crypto, or sends you to a lookalike government or support website.
Use official websites directly when possible. Check the URL carefully before entering personal information.
After urgent reporting is handled, review account and identity protection options.
What reporting can do
Yes, reporting a scammer can help, but it does not usually create an instant refund, takedown, arrest, or direct response. A report can create a record, support a dispute, help agencies and platforms identify patterns, and help warn other people when information is reviewed carefully.
Step by step
There is no single universal report button for every scam. The right place to report depends on the scam type, payment method, platform, and country.
Identify what type of scam happened: website, phone, text, email, payment, identity theft, social account, marketplace, crypto, romance, job, investment, or online shopping.
Save evidence before links, listings, accounts, or messages disappear.
Contact your bank, payment provider, account provider, or platform first if money, account access, or identity information is involved.
File the relevant official report. There is no single universal report button for every scam.
Report the account, listing, website, email, text, or transaction to the platform where it happened.
Secure your accounts and keep reference numbers, ticket numbers, and report confirmations.
Optionally share details with ScamClarity for review. A ScamClarity report is not an official report.
Pick your situation
Choose the closest situation. If more than one applies, start with money, account access, or identity risk first.
When to use it
Choose this if you found a fake shop, phishing page, clone site, suspicious checkout page, or website that took payment and disappeared.
What to save
Full URL, domain, screenshots, checkout page, order confirmation, payment record, messages, and any fake tracking details.
Where to report
Use the official report option that fits the loss or attempted fraud. Browser, search, host, FTC, IC3, or platform reports may apply.
When to use it
Choose this for scam calls, smishing texts, fake delivery texts, payment alerts, verification-code tricks, or suspicious links sent by SMS.
What to save
Phone number, screenshot, message body, time and date, caller ID, voicemail, links, and what you clicked or replied.
Where to report
Report through your carrier or phone provider where available, then use FTC, FCC, platform, payment, or account reports if money or access was involved.
When to use it
Choose this for emails pretending to be a bank, delivery service, workplace, payment app, social platform, government agency, or support team.
What to save
Sender address, subject, body, links, attachments, headers if available, impersonated brand, and screenshots.
Where to report
Report inside your email provider, to the impersonated brand where relevant, and through official fraud reports if money or identity information was exposed.
When to use it
Choose this if money moved through a card, bank transfer, Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, wire transfer, gift card, payment app, or crypto.
What to save
Payment method, amount, transaction ID, receipt, recipient handle or account, date, screenshots, and messages.
Where to report
Contact the payment provider or linked bank first. Then file the official report that fits the scam.
When to use it
Choose this for Instagram scams, fake profiles, hacked friend accounts, fake giveaways, romance messages, investment pitches, or account-takeover tricks.
What to save
Profile URL, username, messages, listing URL, payment request, screenshots, and any linked website or payment handle.
Where to report
Report inside the platform first. If money or identity information was involved, also contact the payment provider or official reporting channel.
When to use it
Choose this for Facebook Marketplace, online marketplace, rental, shipping, deposit, fake tracking, overpayment, or off-platform payment scams.
What to save
Listing URL, seller or buyer profile, messages, payment record, shipping or tracking details, and platform report confirmation.
Where to report
Report the listing or account to the marketplace, then contact the payment provider and official fraud report option if money moved.
When to use it
Choose this for fake exchanges, investment platforms, long-running crypto investment scams, wallet-drainer links, recovery scams, or crypto payment demands.
What to save
Wallet address, transaction hash, exchange or wallet provider, website, token name, amount, screenshots, and messages.
Where to report
Contact the exchange or wallet provider if applicable. File an IC3 report for internet crime and keep transaction hashes intact.
When to use it
Choose this if a scammer has your Social Security number, ID, account login, bank details, card details, address, or other identity information.
What to save
What information was exposed, affected accounts, credit or account notices, dates, documents, and support case numbers.
Where to report
Use IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan. Also contact affected banks, account providers, and credit bureaus when needed.
More reporting guides are being prepared for phone numbers, phishing email, payment fraud, social media, crypto reports, and reviewed public warnings. We will only link them when they have useful content.
Where to report
Use this table to decide who to contact first, where to report, and what details to save. Availability and steps can vary by provider, platform, and location.
What happened
You sent money by card
What happened
You sent money by bank transfer or wire
What happened
You used Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, or another payment app
What happened
You paid with gift cards
What happened
You sent crypto
What happened
You found a scam website
What happened
You got a scam call or text
What happened
You got a phishing email
What happened
Your identity information was stolen
What happened
You were scammed on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, a marketplace, or another platform
Evidence checklist
Save evidence before messages disappear, listings are deleted, domains change, or accounts are removed. Keep sensitive information private.
Do not upload or publish full account numbers, passwords, one-time codes, Social Security numbers, private addresses, full gift card codes, or unrelated personal information.
Share details safely
Sharing details with ScamClarity is not the same as filing an official report. It may help us review scam patterns and prepare safer public warnings in the future.
Share the main details so ScamClarity can review the report. This does not replace filing with an agency, bank, payment provider, or platform.
After you report
ScamClarity stores submitted reports privately for review. Nothing is published automatically, and a ScamClarity report does not replace an official report.
ScamClarity may review submitted details to spot repeated websites, phone numbers, handles, payment identifiers, crypto wallets, or scam patterns. We may decline, merge, remove, or not use a report. If public warnings or directory entries are added later, they should be reviewed, anonymized where needed, and labeled carefully.
ScamClarity can receive reports for review now. A raw public feed was not launched because unreviewed accusations can create privacy, safety, and defamation risks.
After you report
A report is only one step. After reporting, focus on account security, payment follow-up, identity protection, and recovery-scam prevention.
Important limits
These limits protect users and prevent ScamClarity from sounding like an agency, recovery service, or unmoderated accusation board.
Official sites
These resources are included so users can go directly to official sites. They are not the only possible reporting options for every user or country.
Consumer scams and fraud reports in the United States.
Open official siteIdentity theft recovery plans in the United States.
Open official siteInternet crime reports, including many online fraud and cyber-enabled crime reports.
Open official siteUnwanted calls, texts, spoofing, telecom, and communications complaints where applicable.
Open official sitePhishing pages and deceptive websites that should be reviewed by Google Safe Browsing.
Open official siteStart by identifying what happened, saving evidence, and contacting the bank, payment provider, account provider, or platform first if money or account access is involved. Then file the official report that fits the scam type, such as FTC, IC3, IdentityTheft.gov, a platform report, or a payment-provider report.
A report can help create a record, support a dispute, alert a platform or provider, and help agencies connect related scam patterns. It usually does not guarantee an immediate refund, takedown, investigation, or direct response.
The outcome depends on where you report. A bank or payment provider may open a dispute or fraud case. A platform may review an account, listing, or message. An official agency may use the report to track patterns, share data, or support enforcement work, but many reports do not receive individual updates.
Reporting can support a dispute, recall, chargeback, or platform review, but it does not guarantee recovery. Contact the payment provider or financial institution as soon as possible because timing can matter.
If money, card details, bank access, or payment-app access is involved, contact the bank, card issuer, payment app, wire service, gift card issuer, or crypto platform first. You can still file official reports after the urgent payment step.
Save the full URL, screenshots, checkout page, messages, order details, and payment record. Then report it to the place that fits what happened, such as FTC, IC3 for internet crime, Google Safe Browsing for phishing pages, the platform or marketplace, and your payment provider if money was sent.
Save the number, screenshot, message body, links, time and date, caller ID, and voicemail if available. Report through your carrier or phone provider where available, then use FTC, FCC, platform, payment, or account-provider reports if the message caused loss or exposed information.
Save the sender address, subject line, body, links, attachments, impersonated brand, and headers if available. Report inside your email provider, to the impersonated brand if it accepts abuse reports, and to FTC or IC3 if the email led to fraud, identity theft, or online crime.
Contact the payment provider first. That may be your card issuer, bank, payment app, wire service, gift card issuer, crypto exchange, marketplace, or linked account provider. Then file the official report that fits the scam and keep all transaction IDs and case numbers.
Yes. A no-loss report can still help show that a website, phone number, profile, wallet, email, or message is being reused. It can also help platforms, providers, and agencies spot patterns.
No. ScamClarity is not law enforcement and cannot investigate every report. ScamClarity can help organize next steps, explain what to save, and point you to official places to report.
ScamClarity may use reviewed and anonymized reports for public awareness in the future, but reports should not be published automatically. Any future public report should be checked for private information and labeled carefully.
Do not submit passwords, one-time codes, full account numbers, Social Security numbers, private addresses, full gift card codes, unrelated personal details, or private information about other people.