Social Engineering Scams
Sources and reporting routes
Primary evidence and official help, clearly separated from this publication.
Read the record
Our starting sources include FTC Consumer Advice, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, CISA, the UK National Cyber Security Centre, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and Scamwatch Australia. An organization appearing here does not endorse this site.
Official sources can change. A linked advisory describes its own evidence, scope and date. A vendor’s first-party incident report is valuable for its observations but is not an independent audit of every vendor claim. Article-level links point to the specific record rather than asking readers to search an organization’s homepage.
If something has already happened
For a payment, contact your bank, card issuer, payment provider or exchange directly and promptly through a route you already trust. Ask what can be stopped, disputed or recalled; success is not guaranteed. For an exposed account, use the service’s official recovery process. For a work device or work account, contact your organization’s security or IT team through its normal directory.
| Location | Official starting point | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| United States | ReportFraud.ftc.gov | Consumer fraud reports |
| United States | IC3 | Reports of internet-enabled crime |
| United States | IdentityTheft.gov | Identity-theft reporting and recovery planning |
| United Kingdom | NCSC phishing guidance | Current reporting routes for suspicious messages |
| Australia | Scamwatch | Scam reporting and guidance |
| Canada | Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre | Fraud reporting and awareness |
These are not emergency services. If someone is in immediate danger, contact the emergency service where they are located. Reporting a scam is not the same as requesting a payment reversal, and an editorial message to us is not an official crime report.
Keep private evidence private
Save the messages, dates and transaction references you already have. Do not reopen suspicious links to collect more evidence. Share sensitive records only with the relevant institution or authority through its verified process. Be wary of unsolicited offers to recover funds or “speed up” an official complaint.