How to report a crypto scam in the U.S.: police, FBI or IC3?

Updated 9 November 2026

Where to report

• The FBI, at ic3.gov. The FBI's central place for internet fraud complaints.
• The FTC, at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Tracks scams and shares reports with law enforcement nationwide.
• Your local police. Banks and exchanges often ask for a police report number. Your IC3 complaint number is an alternative.
• The exchange, bank or app you sent the money from. They can flag the accounts involved.
• If a fake investment firm was involved, you can also report it to the SEC or the CFTC.

What to include

Dates and amounts, the addresses or accounts you sent money to, the website or app, the scammer's usernames and phone numbers, and screenshots of your messages.

What happens after you report

Agencies receive hundreds of thousands of fraud reports a year, so many don't get individual follow-up. Your report still matters. When the funds are traced and the evidence put together, agencies and institutions can act on it. That's the work we do with you.

Beware

No one from the FBI, IC3 or the FTC will ever ask you for a fee to recover your money. Anyone who does is a scammer. Fake recovery sites we've found.

Common questions