Fraud Cleanup

Where to Report a Scam Phone Number

One number, two forms. Which one you use depends on whether the call cost you money. Here is how to file it right.

You just got the call. Here is where that number goes.

You hung up, or the call ended and left you uneasy. Either way, you are holding a phone number and a question: where do I report this?

The answer depends on one thing. Did the call cost you money, or did you get out clean?

If you are still not sure the call was a scam, read up on is this a scam number before you file anything.

First, decide which report you are filing

The FTC runs two reporting forms, and the fork between them is simple.

If you lost money to the phone scam, or you have information about the scammer, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. It exists for the calls that did damage.

If you did not lose money and just want to report the call, use the streamlined form at DoNotCall.gov. It exists for the calls that tried and failed.

The same number can go to either place. The amount of harm decides which door you use. If you paid the caller, or you have information about the scammer, use ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you caught it in time and lost nothing, use DoNotCall.gov.

The FTC also says certain apps will file the report for you. They send calls with no money lost to DoNotCall.gov, and calls that cost you money to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

What to have ready before you report the number

The FTC names a few details worth including.

  • The phone number that called you, exactly as it appeared on your caller ID.
  • The exact date and time of the call, if you know it. The FTC asks for this on purpose.
  • Any name, number or website the caller told you to use to call back or pay.
  • Whether you lost anything, and if so, what.

That last item matters. The FTC uses extra details you report, like names or numbers you are told to call back, to track down the scammers behind the call.

Report the number even if the caller ID was fake

Maybe the number on your screen looked wrong. Maybe it showed your own area code, or a number you later found belongs to someone else. Do not let that stop you.

The FTC says to report a call even if you think the number on your caller ID is fake. Scammers can make a fake name or number show up there. The FTC knows this. Your report still counts.

The FTC says your reports help law enforcement identify the people behind illegal calls.

What happens to the number after you report it

Here is what the FTC says happens next.

Your reports help the FTC and its law enforcement partners track down the scammers behind the calls. The FTC says it can turn scam reports into cases against the people behind them. The FTC also builds public education from them and shares data about the scams hitting your area.

There is one concrete, daily use. The FTC releases the phone numbers you report to the public each business day. Carriers and other partners building tools that block or label calls draw on that released list.

The FTC has stopped people responsible for billions of robocalls, working with other law enforcement agencies and industry efforts against robocalls and caller ID spoofing. Your report is a small part of that record.

The honest limits of the Do Not Call Registry

If you are on the National Do Not Call Registry and still got the call, you might feel like the system failed you. It did not. It was never built for this.

The FTC says the Registry is designed to stop unwanted sales calls from real companies that follow the law. Scammers do not care if you are on it. Being on the Registry will not stop scammers from making illegal calls.

That is not a reason to skip the Registry. The FTC says being on it could cut the calls you get and make scam calls easier to spot.

Block the number while your report does its work

According to the FTC, blocking calls and labeling them is the strongest protection you have against unwanted ones. So while your report moves through the system, put a wall up on your own phone.

How you block depends on what you are holding. Blocking works differently by phone type, the FTC says. Cell phones, internet-based home phones and landlines each come with their own options. Do not know what kind of service you have? Your phone provider can tell you.

Two things to know before you turn blocking on. The FTC says call-blocking services might block some calls you want to get. And some call-blocking apps are free, while others charge a fee.

For links to company-specific information about blocking calls, the FTC points to the Federal Communications Commission's Call Blocking Resources.

If you lost money or gave personal information

Phone scammers want your money or your personal information, the FTC says, and they will use the second to commit identity theft. Do not give them more of either. But if you already did, the FTC's advice is the same: tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Unclear which agency covers your case? USAGov says its scams and fraud page asks a few questions, then points you to the right agency and the right place to file.

For the wider set of steps, from payment to recovery, read how to report scam calls. And if the call came from a number you now doubt, our page on the phone number scam explains how those tricks work.

The FTC says any information you provide will help stop the scammers. One call, one number, one report. File it, block the number, and let the system do its part.

Sources