How to Report Scams to the Police

Report scam artists to the police.
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Unfortunately, everyone in the world we live in is not of an honest persuasion. There are many scam artists lurking around. The Internet community has also become a virtual playground for those of ill intent. If you fall victim to a scam artist, you should quickly report the scam to the police. By doing so, you are fighting back and also helping to prevent the same scam from happening to others in the future.

Local Scam

Gather as much information as possible about the scam artist. For example, record his name, known addresses, telephone numbers, vehicle description, license plate number and physical description.

Contact your local police station. Ask to speak with the fraud department.

Advise the fraud department representative that you would like to file a scam report. In most cases the officer will be able to take your report over the telephone. If not, you will have to make an in-person visit to the station.

Tell the officer all of the information from Step 1. Let him know exactly what happened, how you were scammed and whether or not any money was involved in the scam. If money was involved, tell him how much money was involved and how the money was paid to the scammer.

Get the name of the police detective you spoke to as well as the report number just in case you need to reference the report in the future.

Internet Scam

Visit the FBI website.

Look under the “Contact Us” section of the FBI home page. Click the link labeled “Report Internet Crime.” This will launch the “Internet Crime Complaint Center.”

Click the “File a Complaint” option located on the bottom of the page.

Click “I Accept” at the bottom of the page to agree to the terms and conditions.

Answer all of the questions on the complaint form. Click “Submit” to submit your report to the FBI. You will receive a confirmation number for your report. Write the confirmation number down for future reference.

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