The legal framework
Reports go to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and to the Federal Trade Commission's fraud reporting site; both feed investigations without opening an individual case. Recovery depends on the payment method: credit cards offer the strongest protection, debit cards a weaker one with short deadlines, and wire transfers, gift cards and cryptocurrency almost none. The FBI operates a recovery asset team that can sometimes freeze a wire reported within seventy-two hours.
Key points
| Reporting | FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center and the FTC fraud site |
|---|---|
| Credit card | Strongest protection; dispute under the federal billing law |
| Debit card | Weaker protection, with deadlines counted in days |
| Wire transfer | A federal recovery team can sometimes freeze it if reported within 72 hours |
| Gift cards | Contact the issuer immediately; occasionally recoverable if unspent |
| Cryptocurrency | Effectively unrecoverable |
| Identity theft | A dedicated federal site generates a recovery plan and affidavit |
In practice
- Report a wire transfer within seventy-two hours and say so explicitly: that is the window in which a freeze is possible.
- Dispute a credit card charge in writing; the federal billing law gives you a formal right that a phone call does not.
- Place a free fraud alert or credit freeze with all three credit bureaus if any document or number was shared.
- Report to both federal channels: they do different things and neither replaces a local police report.
Cost and coverage
All federal reporting channels are free. Credit freezes are free by law.
Where to go
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.
- Federal Trade Commission fraud reporting site.
- Your card issuer or bank fraud department, immediately.
- Federal identity theft recovery site, if documents were shared.
Worth knowing
Beware of "recovery" services that contact you after a scam offering to retrieve your money for a fee. They are, almost without exception, the same networks targeting the same victim a second time.
Official sources and links
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center — federal reporting; wire freezes possible within 72 hours
- ReportFraud.ftc.gov — Federal Trade Commission fraud reporting
- IdentityTheft.gov — generates a personal recovery plan and affidavit
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — complaints about banks and payment providers
- Investor.gov (SEC) — check an investment professional's registration before sending money
- USA.gov — official guide to government services
- Congress.gov — federal legislation