The United States has several reporting channels and no single one that does everything. Understanding what each is actually for prevents the common outcome of filing everywhere, receiving no response, and concluding the system does not work.

First: your financial institution

Before any agency, contact whoever moved the money. Card issuers can file chargebacks. Banks can attempt recalls on transfers. Exchanges may freeze balances still in custody. Reporting agencies do not return funds, and the mechanisms that can are all time-limited — so the bank call comes first, the same day if possible.

IC3 — the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center

File at ic3.gov for anything internet-enabled: investment fraud, business email compromise, romance fraud, ransomware, online purchase fraud. Include transaction details, wallet addresses, and the counterparty information you have. IC3 aggregates complaints to identify operations and, in limited circumstances involving large recent wire transfers, its Recovery Asset Team can work with banks on freezes. Individual responses are uncommon, and the record it creates is still worth having.

The Federal Trade Commission

reportfraud.ftc.gov is the general consumer fraud channel, and identitytheft.gov is the dedicated identity-theft route. The latter is genuinely useful beyond reporting: it produces a personalised recovery plan and an FTC Identity Theft Report, which creditors and credit bureaus accept as documentation when you dispute fraudulent accounts.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

The CFPB handles complaints about financial institutions themselves. This is the channel when your bank mishandled a dispute, failed to investigate, or did not meet its obligations. Companies must respond, and it frequently produces movement on cases that had stalled at the customer-service level.

State attorney general and local police

Your state attorney general handles consumer protection at state level and may act on patterns affecting residents. A local police report provides a reference number that banks, insurers, and employers frequently request. Expect limited individual investigation for online cross-border cases, and file anyway for the documentation.

Sector-specific regulators

  • Securities and investment fraud: the SEC at sec.gov/tcr, and FINRA for brokerage issues.
  • Commodities, futures, and much cryptocurrency fraud: the CFTC.
  • Mail-related fraud: the US Postal Inspection Service.
  • Tax-related impersonation: the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Keep the paperwork organised

Record every confirmation number, the date filed, and which agency. You will be asked for these repeatedly — by your bank during a dispute, by credit bureaus when removing fraudulent accounts, and by insurers. Requirements and timelines change, so confirm current details on each agency's own site rather than relying on a summary.