How to Report a Scam: A Country-by-Country Guide
Who to report a scam to, wherever you live: official services in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the EU, India, Ghana and more, plus the platforms and the details to have ready.
Reporting a scam can feel pointless, especially if the money is already gone. It is not. Reports are how authorities connect cases, shut down numbers and websites, and warn the public before the same trick reaches the next person. A report can also give you a reference number that supports a claim with your bank.
This guide explains who to tell, in what order, and where to go in your country.
The order that works
- Your bank or payment provider, first, if money moved. They are the only ones who can try to stop or recall the payment, and speed matters. Our guide on what to tell your bank after a scam has a script.
- Your national fraud or cybercrime service. See the table below.
- The platform where it happened, such as the messaging app, social network, marketplace or email provider, so the account or listing can be removed.
- Your employer, if a work account, device or payment was involved.
Where to report, by country
| Where you are | Where to report |
|---|---|
| Anywhere | Your bank, card issuer or payment provider on its official number, and the report tools in the app or website where the scam happened. Report phishing websites to Google Safe Browsing. If your country is not listed, start with your national police cybercrime unit. |
| Australia | Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au, and ReportCyber at cyber.gov.au if you have lost money or data. |
| Canada | Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: 1-888-495-8501 or antifraudcentre.ca. |
| European Union | Each country has its own reporting service. Europol lists them on its "Report cybercrime online" page. |
| Ghana | Cyber Security Authority: call or text 292, WhatsApp 0501603111, email report@csa.gov.gh. Ghana Police Service helpline 18555 or 191. |
| India | National cybercrime helpline 1930, especially for financial fraud, and the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in. |
| United Kingdom | England, Wales and Northern Ireland: Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040. Scotland: Police Scotland on 101. Forward scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and scam texts to 7726. |
| United States | Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. |
Contact details change from time to time. If a number does not work, find the current one on the organization's official website by typing its address yourself, not by following a link in a message.
If you are in danger, or someone is threatening you or demanding money in person, call your local emergency number instead.
What to have ready
A good report is quick for you to make and useful for the people reading it. Before you start, gather:
- What happened, in a few sentences, with dates and times.
- How they contacted you: phone numbers, email addresses, usernames, profile links and website addresses.
- How you paid, if you did: amounts, dates, the account, wallet or card details you paid to, and transaction references.
- Screenshots of the messages, profiles, adverts or pages.
- Reference numbers from your bank or any earlier report.
Our guide to preserving scam evidence covers how to capture these before they disappear.
Reporting a scam message you did not fall for
You do not have to lose money to report. Reports of attempts are valuable because they show which tricks are circulating right now.
- Scam texts: in the UK, forward them to 7726. Elsewhere, use your phone's "report junk" option or your mobile network's reporting service, then delete them.
- Scam emails: use your email app's "Report phishing" option. In the UK, you can also forward them to report@phishing.gov.uk.
- Fake websites: report them to Google Safe Browsing so browsers can warn other people.
- Scam accounts and adverts: use the report button on the platform. Our guide to reporting scams to platforms walks through the main apps.
Common worries about reporting
"I feel embarrassed."
The people who handle these reports see cases every day, involving doctors, lawyers, business owners and security professionals. Scams work because they are designed by people who do this full time. You will not be judged.
"Nothing will happen anyway."
Individual reports rarely lead to an arrest on their own, but they are combined with others to find patterns, freeze accounts and take down infrastructure. Our guide on what happens after you report a scam sets out realistic expectations.
"The scammer said they would know if I reported them."
That is a pressure tactic. Official reporting services do not share your details with the people you report.
Watch out for fake reporting services
Some criminals pose as police, regulators or "fund recovery" agencies and contact victims after they report. A genuine authority will not ask you to pay a fee to release a refund or to move your money to a "safe account". If anyone does, it is another scam. Our guide to recovery scams explains the tricks.
Want a second opinion first? Paste a suspicious message into CyberWatch AI Scan to check it for free before you report or delete it.
Reporting is one part of the response. For everything else, from stopping payments to securing your accounts, read our complete guide on what to do if you have been scammed.
Frequently asked questions
Who should I report a scam to first?
If you lost money, call your bank, card issuer or payment provider first, because they can try to stop the payment. Then report to your national fraud or cybercrime service and to the platform where the scam happened.
Is it worth reporting if I did not lose any money?
Yes. Reports of attempted scams help services spot new tricks, block numbers and websites, and warn the public. Many services accept reports of attempts as well as losses.
Can I report a scammer who is in another country?
Report in the country where you live. National services share information with partners abroad, and your report still counts toward the patterns they track.
Will reporting a scam get my money back?
Not usually on its own. Your bank or payment provider is the best route to recovering money. Reports to authorities help investigations and prevention, and a reference number can support a claim with your bank.
Sources
- ReportFraud.ftc.gov, US Federal Trade Commission
- Internet Crime Complaint Center, FBI
- Report Fraud service goes live, City of London Police
- Report a scam email, UK National Cyber Security Centre
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Government of Canada
- Report a scam, Scamwatch, Australian Government
- Report cybercrime online, Europol
- National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, Government of India
- Report a phishing page, Google Safe Browsing
