National Fraud Information Center

Online Incident Report Form

WHAT TO REPORT

• The NFIC accepts reports about attempts to defraud consumers on the telephone or the Internet.

• Telemarketing fraud can involve companies calling consumers or consumers calling companies in response to a mailing or other form of advertising. It also includes telephone sales pitches to businesses.

• Internet fraud can include promotions found on websites, in chat rooms, newsgroups and bulletin boards, as well as via email.

• The NFIC does not accept reports about home improvement, auto sales, or other transactions that usually take place at consumers' homes or retail stores.

• The best way to report possible fraud to the NFIC is by calling our toll-free number, 1-800-876-7060, so that our counselors can ask for the information we need.

• Another way to make a report is to use our Online Incident Report Form.

• If you wish to ask a general question, please call our toll-free number.

• If you want to write to the NFIC, the address is:
  National Fraud Information Center
  
  PO Box 65868
  
  Washington, DC 20035
  

• Generally, to process fraud reports, the NFIC needs the following information: name of company, names of people you dealt with at the company, company address (including website or email address if you are reporting Internet fraud), company phone number, description of what good or service was offered, amount of money the company requested, the amount of money you actually paid, how the payment was made, date of first contact with company, date of payment, your name, address and phone number, and a short description of what happened. Please have this information readily available when you call. If you chose to write, please include all of the information in your correspondence. You may also use the Online Incident Report Form as a guide for your letter.

• The NFIC does not take information such as consumers' credit card numbers or bank account numbers. Please do not include this information in your report.

• The NFIC would like to know how you made your payment to the company -- by giving your credit card or bank account information over the phone of Internet, by wiring money, sending it by a private courier service (please provide the name of service), by U.S. mail, or by other means.

• If you are mailing information to the NFIC, do not include the originals of any materials. You may need them later. Please send photocopies.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOUR REPORT

• We will enter the information in our state-of-the-art incident report system.

• We will relay your report to the appropriate federal, state or local law enforcement agencies.

• Your report will be transmitted to the National Fraud Database, maintained by the Federal Trade Commission and the National Association of Attorneys General. This information is available 24 hours a day to law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Canada.

• Information you provide informs federal and state regulators of possible illegal telemarketing or Internet activities. While there is no guarantee that you will recover money lost to fraud, you can at least help stop fraud and punish wrong-doers.

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