Report a Phone Scam to the FTC

Phone scams succeed at scale because most victims never file official complaints. When you report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), your submission joins a database investigators, state partners, and industry analysts use to identify patterns, pursue enforcement, and warn the public.

Reporting does not guarantee an individual callback or refund, but aggregated data drives action against robocall networks, impersonation rings, and deceptive telemarketing operations. Even a single well-documented report helps — especially when it includes the caller's number, payment method requested, and script details.

The FTC's primary fraud reporting portal is ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The flow is designed for consumers and typically takes a few minutes:

• Open reportfraud.ftc.gov and select that you want to report fraud.
• Choose the category that best matches your experience (impersonation, robocall, online shopping, etc.).
• Describe what happened in plain language — who contacted you, what they claimed, and what they asked for.
• Enter the phone number that called or texted you, plus any callback numbers or URLs they provided.
• Note whether you lost money or shared personal information.
• Submit your contact details if you are willing to be reached for follow-up (optional but helpful for active investigations).

After submission, you may receive a confirmation with a reference number. Keep it with your notes. For unwanted calls that are not clearly fraud — repeated telemarketing without consent — you can also file with the FCC at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov.

Strong FTC reports give investigators concrete facts. Before you file, jot down everything you remember:

• Caller ID number and any different number the agent told you to call back.
• Date, time, and time zone of the call or text.
• Whether the call was a live person, robocall, or AI-generated voice.
• Exact claims made — IRS debt, Amazon order, car warranty, prize winnings, etc.
• Payment methods requested — gift cards, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, Zelle, etc.
• Amount lost, if any, and how payment was sent.
• Personal information disclosed — Social Security number, bank account, one-time codes.
• Screenshots of related texts or emails (describe them in the report if you cannot attach files).

You do not need to prove the scam beyond your honest account of what happened. Accuracy matters more than perfection — if you are unsure about a detail, say so rather than guessing.

CheckThatCall and the FTC serve different purposes. Understanding the distinction helps you use both effectively:

• FTC reports go to a federal law-enforcement database used for investigations, trend analysis, and public warnings.
• CheckThatCall community reports update spam scores and tags on a specific phone number listing to help other consumers decide whether to answer or block.
• FTC filing may be shared with state attorneys general and partner agencies; CheckThatCall reports stay within our platform under our Community Guidelines.
• Neither replaces the other — file with the FTC for official enforcement, and report on CheckThatCall to contribute crowdsourced context.

After you search a number on CheckThatCall, you can submit a structured report (rating + predefined tag such as Robocall, IRS Scam, or Telemarketing). We do not publish free-text comments — tags keep listings consistent. Read our Community Guidelines and only report calls you actually received.

For a full post-call checklist including blocking and account recovery, see What to Do After a Spam Call.

The FTC also operates the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov. Registering your number tells legitimate telemarketers not to call you for sales pitches. It does not stop scammers — criminals ignore the registry — but it can reduce lawful unwanted marketing and gives you a clearer signal that unsolicited sales calls may be illegal.

Registration is free for personal numbers. If you continue receiving sales robocalls after 31 days on the list, those calls may violate telemarketing rules — note the caller and consider both an FTC ReportFraud filing and an FCC complaint. Scam calls (impersonation, fraud, extortion) should always go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov regardless of registry status.

This article is general educational information, not legal advice.CheckThatCall is not the FTC and cannot submit reports on your behalf. We do not verify individual community tags or guarantee enforcement outcomes. See our Disclaimer and About pages for how our data works.