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Report a Cybercrime  

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The process for reporting a cybercrime can seem confusing. There are a number of different federal and local authorities that can assist in the investigation depending on the type of cybercrime. Below we have outlined the reporting guidelines for various types of online crime.
 
Report Identity Theft
Report Financial Fraud
Report Intellectual Property Crime
Report Cyber Bullying
Report Cyberstalking
Report Child Sexual Exploitation
Report an International Scam
Report a Computer Security Incident [No Financial Fraud]
Save the Evidence
 

Report Identity Theft

The FTC defines “identity theft” as when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. There are important steps that you can take if your identity has been stolen.
  1. File a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
  2. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Step 1: File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. You can file a complaint with the FTC using the online complaint form or call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. You can also write to: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580. Be sure to call the hotline to update your complaint if you have any additional information or problems.

While you may not hear back from the FTC directly, sharing your identity theft complaint with the FTC provides them with important information that can help law enforcement officials across the nation track down identity thieves and stop them. The FTC can refer victims' complaints to other government agencies and companies for further action as well as investigate companies for violations of laws the agency enforces.

Additionally, you can provide a printed copy of your online complaint form to the police to incorporate into their police report. The printed FTC ID Theft Complaint, in conjunction with the police report, can constitute an Identity Theft Report and entitle you to certain protections. This Identity Theft Report can be used to:

  • Permanently block fraudulent information from appearing on your credit report
  • Ensure that debts do not reappear on your credit report
  • Prevent a company from continuing to collect debts that result from identity theft
  • Place an extended fraud alert on your credit report

Step 2: Call your local police department and tell them that you want to file a report about your identity theft. Ask them if you can file the report in person. If you cannot, ask if you can file a report over the Internet or telephone. If the police are reluctant to take your report, ask to file a "Miscellaneous Incident" report, or try another jurisdiction, like your state police. You also can check with your state Attorney General's office to find out if state law requires the police to take reports for identity theft. Check with the National Association of Attorneys General for a list of state Attorneys General or check the Blue Pages of your telephone directory for the phone number.

When you go to your local police department to file your report, bring a printed copy of your FTC ID Theft Complaint form and any supporting documentation. Ask the officer to attach or incorporate the ID Theft Complaint into their police report. Tell them that you need a copy of the Identity Theft Report (the police report with your ID Theft Complaint attached or incorporated) to dispute the fraudulent accounts and debts created by the identity thief. In some jurisdictions the officer will not be able to give you a copy of the official police report, but should be able to sign your Complaint and write the police report number in the “Law Enforcement Report” section.

For More Information:

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Report Financial Fraud

Report a cybercrime that has resulted in financial fraud to the Internet Crime Complaint Center:
  1. File a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
  2. Call the financial institution whose account was involved.
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Report Intellectual Property Crime

  1. Report intellectual property crime
  2. Follow the Department of Justice's Guidelines for Reporting Copyright Infringement or Trademark Violations.
  3. Follow the Department of Justice's Guidelines for Reporting Theft of Trade Secrets.
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Report Cyberbullying

  1. If you feel you are in physical danger, or the stalker knows where you live, call 911 immediately or contact your local police and the nearest FBI field office.
  2. WiredSafety Group’s Stopcyberbullying.org recommends recommends the “Stop, Block, and Tell” approach for children who have been harassed by cyberbullies. Have your child Stop correspondence, Block the offender from your communication lists, and Tell a trustworthy adult.
  3. CyberAngels recommends:
    • Log off immediately and stay offline for at least 24 hours. Do not reply to any correspondence from the bully or stalker.
    • Completely change your online identity including everything in your profiles (email, online services, social media, newsgroups, etc.).
    • Contact the harasser's ISP and file a complaint. To find the sender's ISP, choose to display full headers in your email application. You'll find a "Received:" line in the email message that contains an eight- to 12-digit number separated by periods. You can run a "Who Is" search on this number to find the sender's ISP. Geektools provides such a utility.
    • Keep all emails from the harasser and any replies you sent as evidence. In chat or instant message clients, keep logs of the stalker’s messages.
  4. Contact the following non-profit experts on child safety:
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Report Cyberstalking

  1. Stop correspondence.
  2. Block the offender from all communications.
  3. Contact the harasser's ISP and file a complaint. To find the sender's ISP, choose to display full headers in your email application. You'll find a "Received:" line in the email message that contains an eight- to 12-digit number separated by periods. You can run a "Who Is" search on this number to find the sender's ISP. Geektools provides such a utility.
  4. Consider changing all online accounts.
  5. Learn more at the Stalking Resource Center hosted by the National Center for Victims of Crime.
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Report Child Sexual Exploitation

  1. If your child is in immediate danger, call 911 or contact your local police (If you do not have their phone number, please call 411.) and the nearest FBI field office.
  2. If you would like more information or assistance in reporting, call the National Center for Missing and Exploited CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678 or visit cybertipline.com.
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Report an International Scam

Common cross-border e-commerce complaints include online shopping, international lotteries and auctions, and foreign money offers. Here's how to report an international (sometimes called cross-border) scam:
  1. File a complaint at EConsumer.gov. This is a joint project of consumer protection agencies from 20 nations, and is focused on ending international scams.
  2. If you’ve been involved in a foreign money offer scheme, contact your local Secret Service Field Office
  3. File a complaint at the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) to help you find your appropriate law enforcement jurisdiction
Note: Your complaint may not necessarily be investigated by a specific country, so you must work to find resolution yourself. Econsumer.gov has information about resolving the complaint without legal action, such as using an escrow service, reversing a charge payment, and locating a third-party dispute resource.
 
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Report a Computer Security Incident [No Financial Fraud]

More than a nuisance, hacking, viruses, spyware, phishing scams and spam can lead to identity theft and other serious crimes. You can help stop cybercrime by reporting the incident to the right authorities. Below are some suggestions of what to do when you become a target.
  1. Notify your Internet Service Provider (ISP) of the breach, and file a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.
  2. If you discover your computer has spyware on it, report this via the FTC Consumer Complaint Form.
  3. If you receive spam or emails that are “phishing” for personal information, forward them to spam@uce.edu.
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Save Evidence

According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), it is important that you keep any evidence you may have related to your complaint. Evidence may include, but is not limited to, the following:
  • Canceled checks
  • Certified or other mail receipts
  • Chatroom or newsgroup text
  • Credit card receipts
  • Envelopes (if you received items via FedEx, UPS, or U.S. Mail)
  • Facsimiles
  • Money order receipts
  • Pamphlets or brochures
  • Phone bills
  • Printed or preferably electronic copies of emails (if printed, include full email header information)
  • Printed or preferably electronic copies of web pages
  • Wire receipts
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