--- title: "Where to Report a Scam Text, Call or Email | Scam Lantern" description: "Where to report a scam in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland, in order: bank first, then the national service, 7726 and the app. Plus report notes." url: https://scamlantern.me/report-a-scam/ --- Report a scam # Where to report a scam, in the right order If you paid or shared bank details, **call your bank or card company first**. Then report it to your country’s service: **ReportFraud.ftc.gov** in the US, **Report Fraud** in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland), the **Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre**, **Scamwatch** in Australia, or your **local Garda station** in Ireland. Forward scam texts to **7726** in the US, UK and Canada. Pick your country and what happened for your full list. ## Why the order matters Money moves fast, and reports take time to act on. That is why the official sources put your bank first. The FTC says to report a bank transfer or payment app scam to your bank or the app immediately and ask for the payment to be reversed. Scamwatch says to contact your bank or card provider immediately and ask it to stop any transactions. An Garda Síochána says to report it to your bank immediately to limit the loss. In the UK, Citizens Advice says to call the police on 101 straight away if you transferred money in the last 24 hours. Protect your money, then report, then pass the message on, then block the sender. ## Country by country ### United States Report any scam, including attempts, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FBI asks people who get scam texts like the fake toll texts, or who lose money to impersonators, to file a complaint at ic3.gov. Forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM) and phishing emails to reportphishing@apwg.org. If your Social Security number or card details were exposed, IdentityTheft.gov gives you steps based on what was lost. ### United Kingdom Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud on 4 December 2025 as the place to report fraud and cyber crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: online at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland on 101. Citizens Advice says Report Fraud gives you a crime reference number, which can help when you tell your bank. Forward scam texts to 7726 (free) and scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk; texts pretending to be HMRC can also go to 60599. For a call about your bank, 159 connects you to most UK banks. ### Canada Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca, whether you are a victim or a witness; you can stay anonymous. You can also call 1-888-495-8501, Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4:45 pm Eastern time. If you lost money, contact your local police as soon as possible, because the police investigate. Canada Post says you can forward spam texts to 7726. ### Australia Secure your accounts first, then report to Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au. For cybercrime, such as stolen money or personal information, Scamwatch links to a police report through ReportCyber on cyber.gov.au. IDCARE, on 1800 595 160, can help you make a free recovery plan. Since 1 July 2026, texts from businesses should show a registered sender name; those from unregistered senders show as “Unverified”. ### Ireland Report fraud, even an attempt, to your local Garda station; the Gardaí say if you’re unsure whether you are a victim, report it anyway. The CCPC’s helpline, +353 (0)1 402 5555, gives advice on your consumer rights, and says that if you paid by credit card you may have stronger protection than with a debit card or bank transfer. Since 3 July 2025, texts from sender names not registered with ComReg are labelled “Likely Scam”. ## What to put in a report The notes builder above collects what reporting services ask for. Citizens Advice suggests writing down who contacted you, why you’re suspicious, what information you shared, whether you paid and how. The US Postal Inspection Service asks for a screenshot showing the sender’s number and the date. Keep receipts, gift cards and statements too: the FTC says to keep gift cards and receipts to report a gift card scam. Your notes are saved in your browser’s local storage on this device only, never sent anywhere. Print them or copy them as text to read out on the phone. “Clear notes” deletes them. ## Common mistakes - **Reporting before calling the bank.** Call the bank first; the report can follow straight after. - **Not reporting because you didn’t lose money.** The FTC asks you to report any phishing attempt, and the Gardaí ask for attempts to be reported too. - **Paying someone who offers to recover your money.** Scamwatch says scammers often come back for more this way. As Scamwatch puts it, there’s no shame in getting scammed; it can happen to any of us. If it is weighing on you, talk to someone you trust. In Australia, Scamwatch points to Lifeline (13 11 14) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636). ## Questions **Where do I report a scam text?** Forward it to 7726 in the US, UK or Canada. Then report it to your national service: ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre in Canada, Scamwatch in Australia. In the UK, report it to Report Fraud if you lost money. **What replaced Action Fraud in the UK?** Report Fraud, run by the City of London Police, from 4 December 2025. Report online at reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland on 101. **Should I report a scam if I didn’t lose any money?** Yes. The FTC asks you to report any phishing attempt, and An Garda Síochána says attempted fraud should be reported too. Reports help agencies warn others and take scam websites down. **Does Scam Lantern pass my report on?** No. This site doesn’t receive or forward reports, and your notes never leave your browser. Use the official services in your list directly. **What details should I have ready when I report a scam?** When it happened, how they contacted you, who they claimed to be, their numbers, addresses and links, what you shared, and any payments with dates, amounts and references. The notes builder on this page collects them for you. ## Sources All checked on 5 November 2026. - FTC: [What To Do if You Were Scammed](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed) (June 2026), [How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams) (September 2022), [How To Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-report-spam-text-messages) (July 2022) and [Avoiding and Reporting Gift Card Scams](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/avoiding-and-reporting-gift-card-scams) (July 2023). FBI IC3: [toll smishing PSA](https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA240412) (12 April 2024) and [account takeover PSA](https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2025/PSA251125) (25 November 2025). - GOV.UK: [Report Fraud: new service from City of London Police](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/report-fraud-new-service-from-city-of-london-police) (4 December 2025), [Avoid and report internet scams and phishing](https://www.gov.uk/report-suspicious-emails-websites-phishing) (11 October 2024) and [Report suspicious HMRC emails, texts and calls](https://www.gov.uk/find-hmrc-contacts/report-suspicious-hmrc-emails-texts-social-media-accounts-and-phone-calls) (24 November 2025). NCSC: [Report a scam email](https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams/report-scam-email), [Report a scam text](https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams/report-scam-text-message) and [Report a scam phone call](https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams/report-scam-call). Citizens Advice: [Reporting a scam](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/scams/reporting-a-scam/). Stop Scams UK: [159](https://stopscamsuk.org.uk/our-programmes/159-phone-number/). Payment Systems Regulator: [APP fraud reimbursement protections](https://www.psr.org.uk/information-for-consumers/app-fraud-reimbursement-protections/). - Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: [Report fraud and cybercrime](https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/report-signalez-eng.htm) (27 November 2025), [Bank investigator](https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/scams-fraudes/b-investigator-enqueteur-eng.htm) and [The 12 frauds of the holidays](https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/features-vedette/2021/11/holiday-fetes-eng.htm). Canada Post: [Recognizing spam, fraudulent emails and text messages](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/kb/company-policies/privacy-security/what-do-to-if-you-get-suspicious-email.page). - Scamwatch (ACCC): [Report a scam](https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam), [What to do if you’ve been scammed](https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/stop-check-protect/what-to-do-if-youve-been-scammed) and [Text or SMS scams](https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/text-or-sms-scams). - An Garda Síochána: [Fraud](https://www.garda.ie/en/crime/fraud/). CCPC: [What to do if you’ve been scammed](https://www.ccpc.ie/manage-your-money/scams-and-frauds/what-to-do-if-you%27ve-been-scammed). ComReg: [SMS Sender ID Registry](https://www.comreg.ie/industry/electronic-communications/nuisance-communications/sms-sender-id-registry/) (update of 19 September 2025). - US Postal Inspection Service: [Smishing: package tracking text scams](https://www.uspis.gov/news/scam-article/smishing-package-tracking-text-scams). WhatsApp blocking and reporting is linked from the NCSC’s scam call page.