FTC (Federal Trade Commission) - Fraud Complaint Guide

Last Updated: November 7, 2025
Agency Type: Federal Government - Consumer Protection
Response Time: Acknowledgment within 1-2 business days; Investigation varies
Success Rate: N/A (Complaints feed enforcement actions, not immediate takedowns)

Overview

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the primary U.S. federal agency responsible for consumer protection and preventing fraudulent business practices. While the FTC does not directly take down individual fraudulent websites, filing a complaint:

Creates an official record of the fraud
Feeds the FTC's Consumer Sentinel database used by law enforcement
Can trigger investigations if enough complaints accumulate
Strengthens your case for other takedown actions (hosting providers, payment processors)
May result in enforcement actions against large-scale fraud operations

Important: FTC complaints are for reporting fraud. For immediate takedowns, also report to the hosting provider, domain registrar, and other service providers.

Who Should File an FTC Complaint

Businesses (Brand Protection)

You should file if:

A fraudulent website is impersonating your business
Scammers are using your brand to defraud consumers
You want to document the fraud for legal proceedings
You want to contribute to broader enforcement efforts

Individual Consumers

The FTC complaint system primarily serves consumers who have been victims of fraud. Business reports of brand impersonation are accepted but serve more as supporting intelligence.

Prerequisites

Before filing, gather:

Fraudulent website URL (full URL)
Your business information (legitimate domain, company name)
Description of the fraud (how they're impersonating you or defrauding consumers)
Evidence:
- Screenshots of the fraudulent site
- Customer complaints you've received
- Financial harm estimates (if available)
Date discovered
Any known information about the scammer (email, phone, address if available)

Filing a Complaint

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Navigate to ReportFraud.ftc.gov

URL: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov

This is the FTC's official complaint portal.

2. Choose Your Complaint Category

Select the option that best fits:

Online Shopping: For fake e-commerce sites impersonating your business
Phishing: For sites collecting personal information fraudulently
Impostor Scams: For sites pretending to be your legitimate business
Other: For cases that don't fit standard categories

3. Describe the Fraud

Provide:

Who: Who are they claiming to be? (Your business name)
What: What are they doing? (Selling fake products, collecting info, etc.)
When: When did you discover this?
Where: Full URL of the fraudulent website
How: How are they deceiving consumers?

Example Description:

The website scam-site.com is impersonating our legitimate business,
[Your Company Name] (legit-business.com).

The fraudulent site:
- Uses our company logo and trademarked name without permission
- Copies our website design to appear legitimate
- Advertises products/services they cannot deliver
- Collects customer payment and personal information
- Does not fulfill orders

We have received [X] customer complaints from people who were
deceived by this site thinking they were purchasing from us.

This fraudulent operation is damaging our brand reputation and
causing financial harm to consumers.

4. Provide Details About the Fraudulent Website

URL: Full website address
Company Name on the Site: What they're calling themselves
Contact Info They Provide: Any email, phone, address (if fake, note that)
Payment Methods: How are they collecting money? (credit card, wire transfer, crypto)

5. Enter Your Information

As the reporter, provide:

Your name (or company name)
Your email address
Your phone number (optional but recommended)
Your address (business address)

Check the box if you're reporting on behalf of someone else (your customers).

6. Upload Evidence (Optional but Recommended)

You can attach:

Screenshots of the fraudulent website
Screenshots of customer complaints
Any communications with the scammer
WHOIS/DNS lookup data

Format: PDF, JPG, PNG (max 10MB)

7. Review and Submit

Double-check all information
Review your description for clarity
Click Submit

8. Save Your Confirmation

After submission, you'll receive:

Confirmation number (save this!)
Email confirmation (check spam folder)

What Happens Next

Immediate Response

Acknowledgment: You'll receive an email confirmation within 1-2 business days
Consumer Sentinel Database: Your complaint is added to the FTC's database
Shared with Law Enforcement: Your report is accessible to 2,000+ federal, state, and international law enforcement agencies

Long-Term Actions

The FTC does not:

❌ Take down individual websites
❌ Investigate every single complaint
❌ Provide case-by-case updates
❌ Act as your personal lawyer or recovery service

The FTC does:

✅ Analyze trends and patterns in complaints
✅ Launch investigations into large-scale fraud operations
✅ Bring enforcement actions (lawsuits, penalties) against major scammers
✅ Issue consumer alerts and warnings
✅ Coordinate with other agencies (FBI, state AGs, international partners)

Realistic Expectations

Individual complaints rarely trigger immediate action
Multiple complaints about the same operation increase chances of investigation
FTC enforcement actions take months or years to develop
Your complaint contributes to the "big picture" of fraud trends

Complementary Actions

The FTC complaint is just one step. For faster results, also report to:

Service Providers (For Immediate Takedowns)

✅ Domain Registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.) - Can suspend domain
✅ Hosting Provider (AWS, CloudFlare, etc.) - Can take site offline
✅ Payment Processors (Stripe, PayPal, etc.) - Can freeze accounts
✅ Email Service - Can disable abusive accounts

Law Enforcement (For Criminal Investigation)

✅ FBI IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center) - For cyber crimes
✅ State Attorney General - For state-level enforcement
✅ Local Police - For local jurisdiction crimes

Other Agencies

✅ Google Safe Browsing - To flag the site in browsers
✅ Microsoft SmartScreen - For Edge/IE users
✅ Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) - Industry coalition

Following Up on Your Complaint

Checking Status

The FTC does not provide individual case status updates. There is no way to "check on" your complaint.

Adding More Information

If you discover new information:

File a new complaint with the additional details
Reference your original confirmation number in the description
Include new evidence

If Nothing Happens

Remember:

The FTC takes action based on patterns, not individual complaints
Your complaint still matters - it's part of the data that drives enforcement
For immediate needs, focus on service provider takedowns

Tips for an Effective Complaint

Do's:

✅ Be factual and detailed in your description
✅ Include the full URL of the fraudulent site
✅ Mention any customer complaints you've received
✅ Attach clear screenshots as evidence
✅ Include financial harm estimates if available
✅ File promptly after discovering the fraud
✅ Encourage your affected customers to file their own complaints

Don'ts:

❌ Don't exaggerate or make unverifiable claims
❌ Don't include personal attacks or emotional language
❌ Don't expect immediate action or personal responses
❌ Don't file duplicate complaints (update original if needed)
❌ Don't omit critical details like the URL

Special Considerations

For Businesses vs. Individual Victims

If you're a business reporting brand impersonation:

Clearly state you're the legitimate business owner
Explain how consumers are being harmed
Provide customer complaint data if available
Frame it as consumer protection, not just brand damage

If you're an individual victim:

File your own complaint describing your experience
Include financial losses
Describe how you were deceived

Encouraging Customer Reports

If your customers have been defrauded:

Direct them to file their own FTC complaints
Provide them with this information:
- FTC Complaint URL: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov
- Category: "Online Shopping" or "Impostor Scams"
- Details to include: What they lost, how they were deceived

Multiple complaints about the same scam significantly increase the chance of FTC action.

Additional Resources

FTC Report Fraud: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov
FTC Consumer Sentinel: https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/consumer-sentinel-network
FTC Identity Theft: https://www.identitytheft.gov (if personal info was stolen)
FTC Scam Alerts: https://consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts

Common Questions

Q: Will the FTC take down the fraudulent website?
A: No. The FTC does not directly remove individual websites. They investigate patterns and bring enforcement actions against large operations.

Q: Will I get my money back through the FTC?
A: No. The FTC does not provide refunds or recovery services. In some cases, successful FTC enforcement may result in restitution, but this takes years.

Q: How long does an FTC investigation take?
A: Investigations can take months to years. The FTC does not provide updates on individual complaints.

Q: Should I file even if I don't expect immediate action?
A: Yes. Your complaint contributes to enforcement data and helps protect future victims.

Q: Can I file anonymously?
A: No. You must provide contact information, but your identity is kept confidential in enforcement actions.

Q: What if the scammer is outside the U.S.?
A: File anyway. The FTC cooperates with international law enforcement through the Consumer Sentinel Network.

Summary Checklist

Before submitting your FTC complaint, confirm you have:

Gathered all required information (URL, business details, evidence)
Prepared a clear, factual description of the fraud
Taken screenshots of the fraudulent website
Noted when you discovered the fraud
Collected any customer complaints (if applicable)
Decided on the correct complaint category
Your contact information ready
Realistic expectations about outcomes

After filing:

Saved your confirmation number
Filed complaints with service providers for immediate action
Considered filing with FBI IC3 and state AG
Encouraged affected customers to file their own reports

Document Version: 1.0
Contributors: ScamSnitch.ai Research Team
License: Public Domain - Free to use and distribute

This guide is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The FTC complaint process is administrative and does not replace legal action. Consult with an attorney for specific legal guidance.

FTC (Federal Trade Commission)

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