Chances are you will be targeted by an online scam several times in your lifetime.
Well, if you ever lost money or had your personal information compromised, the FBI wants to know what happened.
The FBI knows that getting fooled could make you feel embarrassed that you fell for what, in hindsight, was an avoidable online scam and that you may not want to talk about it, but it is important to report it, which is why you can report it anonymously.
“If you think you’ve been the victim of a romance scam, a business email compromise or other internet-based crimes, you can go to IC3.gov and report the details of the situation,” Thomas Agee, special agent with the FBI, told NBC 7
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
Agee said it was easy to file a report at the federal agency's online crime reporting center.
In the past five years, the FBI has received 3.26 million complaints and has recorded $27.6 billion in losses due to scams.
What information should I have at the time of reporting it?
The most important information you can provide are the details of the transaction, including:
- Cryptocurrency addresses
- Amount and type of cryptocurrency
- Date and time of the transaction
- The transaction number
What other information should you provide?
- Where and how you first encountered the scammer
- Details of the communication you had, whether they are emails or text messages
- What addresses of the internet websites you were asked to visit
- Timeline of the scam
Combined with other data, your information could allow the FBI to investigate reported crimes, track trends and threats, and, in some cases, freeze stolen funds.
Local
“If you want to provide contact information, you can provide it," Agee said. "It will help facilitate investigation by agents. But if you want to remain anonymous, you can report that information anonymously.”
The FBI said it was still important to submit a complaint through its website and provide as much information as possible, even if you don't have all the details.
How can you contact the FBI and make a report? Go to www.ic3.gov and click file a complaint.
