How to Report a Scam Website in the USA

You spotted a fake site. Here is where to send the report, and what reporting can and cannot do for you.

Why your report matters

You found a scam website. Maybe you almost fell for it. Maybe you already did. Either way, telling the right agency is worth a few minutes of your time.

Here is why. The FTC says it will not settle your own case for you. But it takes those reports and opens investigations, and it brings cases that halt the conduct. The FTC also uses scam reports to build cases against scammers. It also turns them into public warnings, and into local data about the scams circulating near you.

The FTC also says the information you provide helps it and its law enforcement partners track down the scammers.

So no, a report will not get your money back by itself. It still counts.

First, confirm it is a scam website

Before you report, make sure you are looking at a fake site and not a clumsy real one. A few signs stand out.

The FBI says fake websites used in phishing are made solely to steal your information. The FBI also says scammers use slight differences in email addresses, URLs, and spelling to trick your eye and gain your trust. A misspelled brand name or an extra word in the web address is the kind of slight difference the FBI means.

Do not trust the padlock. PayPal says many fake sites show a padlock symbol in the address bar, so you should not rely on it. PayPal also says the letter s in https does not always mean a site is legitimate, because hackers can build encrypted sites too.

If you want a fuller walkthrough of the warning signs, read our guide to is this a scam website.

Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov

The FTC's own route for scams is ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC says if you see a scam, fraud, or a bad business practice, tell the FTC there.

That covers a lot of ground. The FTC also says to report FTC impersonation scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. And the FTC says that if anyone demanded that you wire money, you should report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

For more on this reporting route, see our page on report fraud FTC gov.

Report phishing to the FBI at ic3.gov

Sometimes a scam website does not find you. You find it, because a message pushed it at you.

The FBI says phishing schemes often use spoofing techniques to lure you in and get you to take the bait. The FBI says to report spoofing and phishing to its Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

So if you landed on the scam website through a phishing email or text, IC3 is the FBI's named route for that. If you just stumbled on the site yourself, the FTC route above still fits.

Not sure which agency handles it?

You do not have to guess. USAGov has a tool for this.

USAGov says a short set of questions will point you to the government agency that handles your type of scam. It also tells you where the report should go. Its where to report a scam tool helps you find the best agency or organization to report the scam.

One distinction is worth making first. USAGov says an issue with a legitimate business that has wronged you may not be an actual scam. USAGov says to visit its complaints section to learn how to file a complaint if your issue is with a legitimate business.

What happens after you report

Set your expectations honestly here.

The FTC says it cannot resolve your individual report. What the FTC does instead is open investigations built on reports, and file cases that put a stop to the conduct.

That is the real work of a report. It helps the FTC and its law enforcement partners track down scammers. It feeds public education about what scams look like right now. The FTC says to tell it if you see a scam, so a report fits even if you lost nothing.

If you lost money or entered information

Reporting the website is one step. It is not the whole response.

If money left your hands, or you typed personal information into the site, you have more to do. Our guide on how can I report a scam walks through the wider set of reports and steps. And if the scam involved PayPal, our PayPal fraud report page covers that route in detail.