Automotive Marketing

If you think you are dealing with or have sent money to an online scammer, here is how to report the incident to state and federal authorities.

Where to report online scams to US authorities

1. File a complaint at the Internet Crime Complaint Center, ic3.gov
2. File a complaint using the FTC’s Complaint Assistant at ftccomplaintassistant.gov
3. Find the website of your state Attorney General and file a report there if possible. A phone call may be required.

Alert website owners via email

Forward the scam emails you received to the FTC (spam@uce.gov) and the owner of the website the scammer may be using as a vehicle or imitating.

• abuse@craigslist.org
• spoof@ebay.com
• fraudwatch@autotrader.com

If a scammer gives you a bank account number, report it to the bank immediately. The name and account number provided to you by a scammer is likely yesterday’s victim of the scheme. If you have emails, banks usually have abuse email addresses to which you may forward evidence.