How to Report Financial Fraud

If you or someone you know has been a victim of financial fraud, report it immediately. The sooner you report, the better chance of recovering funds and stopping the perpetrators.

Immediate Steps

Contact your financial institution immediately — Brokerage, bank, or crypto exchange. They may be able to reverse transactions or freeze accounts.
Change passwords — All financial accounts, email, and any other accounts using the same credentials.
Place a fraud alert or credit freeze — Contact one of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion). A fraud alert is free and lasts one year. A credit freeze is stronger and blocks new credit applications entirely.
Document everything — Save emails, transaction records, screenshots, phone numbers, names, and any communications with the scammer.
File reports with the relevant agencies.

Where to Report

FTC (Federal Trade Commission)

https://reportfraud.ftc.gov

Report identity theft, scams, and deceptive business practices. The FTC shares reports with 2,000+ law enforcement agencies.

FBI IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center)

https://www.ic3.gov

Report cybercrime including investment scams, phishing, BEC, ransomware, and crypto fraud.

SEC (Securities & Exchange Commission)

https://www.sec.gov/tcr

Report securities fraud, insider trading, Ponzi schemes, and investment advisor misconduct.

FINRA

https://www.finra.org/complaint-center

File a complaint about a broker or brokerage firm. Check BrokerCheck for disciplinary history.

CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint

Report issues with banks, credit cards, mortgages, student loans, and debt collection.

SIPC

202-371-8300

File a claim if your brokerage firm fails and assets are missing. Coverage up to $500,000.

U.S. Secret Service

https://www.secretservice.gov/contact

Investigate financial crimes including counterfeit currency, wire fraud, and cyber-enabled financial crime.

State Securities Regulator

Contact your state's securities regulator for investment fraud. Find yours at nasaa.org.

Local Police

File a police report for identity theft, fraud, or scams involving local perpetrators.

Recovery Tips

Crypto scams: Report to FBI IC3 and the crypto exchange/platform used. On-chain tracing firms (Chainalysis, TRM Labs) work with law enforcement but recovery is rare once funds leave the exchange.
Wire transfer fraud: Contact your bank immediately. The earlier wire fraud is reported, the better the chance of a recall. FedWire rules allow recall within 30 minutes for domestic transfers; international is harder.
ACH fraud: You have 60 days after your bank statement to report unauthorized ACH transfers under Regulation E. After 60 days, you may be liable for all losses.
Credit card fraud: $0 liability under the Fair Credit Billing Act if reported promptly.
Identity theft: File an Identity Theft Report at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC provides a personal recovery plan.

International Reporting

UK: Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk) or 0300 123 2040
Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (antifraudcentre.ca) or 1-888-495-8501
Australia: Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) or ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au)
EU: Report to your national consumer protection authority via the ECC-Net (ecc-net.eu)
Singapore: Police Hotline 1800-255-0000 or report at police.gov.sg
UAE: Dubai Police 901 or eCrime.ae