FTC Complaint Online: How to File and Get Help

Where to File an FTC Complaint Online

Start at {site} and choose the option for reporting fraud, scams, or bad business practices. The official FTC reporting service asks questions about what happened and sends the information to the Federal Trade Commission.

Check the page carefully before entering personal information. It should identify itself as an official United States government service, explain how submitted information is used, and connect the report directly with the FTC. Do not continue from an unexpected message, advertisement, or search result that asks for payment. Filing an FTC complaint online does not require paying a person to submit it for you.

Some problems follow a specialized FTC process. For example, a report involving identity theft may be directed to the FTC’s dedicated identity-theft reporting and recovery service. Follow that direction when it appears instead of submitting the same event repeatedly through several FTC forms.

Information to Gather Before Filing

You can report an incident even if some details are missing. Still, gathering records first can make the complaint clearer and reduce the chance that you will forget an important date or payment.

• Your name and contact information, if you choose to provide it.
• The name used by the person, business, or organization involved.
• Available email addresses, account names, website addresses, and caller information connected with the incident.
• The dates when contact began, payments were requested, and the problem occurred.
• Payment amounts, payment methods, transaction dates, receipt details, and financial account records.
• Copies or screenshots of messages, emails, advertisements, invoices, receipts, and account notices.
• A short timeline explaining what was promised, what you did, and what happened afterward.
• Details about information you disclosed, such as a password, account number, government identifier, or copy of an identity document.

Keep original records. The online form may ask you to describe evidence rather than upload every file. Do not include passwords, security codes, or other secrets unless the official form specifically requests the information.

How to Submit the Complaint

1. Open the official reporting service from {site}. Select the category that most closely matches the problem, such as an impersonation scam, unwanted contact, an online transaction, or another consumer issue.
2. Answer the follow-up questions. Choose the closest accurate answer when none of the choices matches perfectly. The form normally provides space to explain the situation in your own words.
3. Describe events in date order. State how contact started, what the other party claimed, what action was requested, whether money or information was sent, and what happened next.
4. Enter every useful detail you have about the person or organization involved. Leave an item blank if you do not know the answer instead of guessing.
5. Add your own contact details if you are comfortable doing so. Read the page’s privacy explanation before deciding what to provide.
6. Review the entire FTC complaint. Correct names, dates, amounts, and transaction details. Remove speculation and make clear which statements came from the other party.
7. Submit the report once. Wait for the confirmation screen before closing the page or using the back button.

If the form stops working, preserve your written timeline in a note on your device. Reopen the official service and try again. Avoid sending several identical reports simply because a confirmation page was slow to appear.

What Happens After Submission

Save the confirmation page and any report or reference number it provides. Take a screenshot, save a digital copy, or write the number somewhere secure. Also keep the email address used during filing and a copy of the description you submitted.

The FTC uses consumer reports to identify patterns, support enforcement work, and share appropriate report information with authorized partners. A submitted report can help show how a scam operates even when the FTC does not contact the person who filed it.

An FTC complaint is not a promise of an individual investigation, a personal response, or recovery of lost money. Do not assume that silence means the report was rejected. The confirmation information is the best immediate record that the submission was received.

How to Update a Report or Get Support

Begin with the instructions on the confirmation page or confirmation message. If an update feature is available, you may need the report number and the email address connected with the original submission. Use it to correct a material error or add meaningful new information, such as another payment, a new message, or the actual name behind an earlier alias.

Do not replace accurate information just because the person you reported changes their story. Add the new facts and dates so the sequence remains clear. Keep a separate note showing what changed after the first filing.

If you cannot recover access or need help completing the form, use the official help or contact option shown within the FTC reporting service. Explain whether you need filing assistance, an accessibility accommodation, or help locating an existing report. Never give a password or one-time security code to someone claiming that it is required to retrieve the complaint.

What to Do If Money or Personal Data Is at Risk

Submitting the report creates a record, but it does not freeze an account or secure a device. Take protective steps at the same time when the risk is active.

• Contact the affected financial institution through the verified contact method on your account materials. Ask about securing the account and reviewing the transaction.
• Change exposed passwords from a trusted device. Use a different password for each important account and enable stronger sign-in protection where available.
• If an email account was exposed, secure it first because it may be used to reset other accounts.
• Review financial and account activity for changes you did not make. Preserve alerts, statements, and transaction records.
• If identity information was misused, follow the specialized FTC identity-theft process offered through the official reporting service.
• Stop communicating with anyone who demands more money or secret information to recover a loss.

Add important developments to the FTC complaint when the official update process permits it. Keep the report number, supporting records, and your timeline together so you can accurately explain the incident if the FTC requests more information.