Official routes only

Every entry below says what it is for, where it comes from, and when we checked it. Checked 2026-09-15.

Right now

Your bank, card issuer or payment provider

First call if money has already moved

Use the words fraud and scam payment. Ask directly whether the payment can be stopped, recalled or charged back, and what they need from you within the hour. Call the number on your card or in your banking app, never a number given to you by the caller.

What is realistically recoverable, by payment type: first-hour guide.

Local emergency number

If anyone is in immediate physical danger

911 in the US and Canada, 112 across the EU and the UK. Fraud alone is not an emergency call; a threat to a person is.

Reporting — United States

FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

Federal reporting for internet-enabled crime, including AI voice and deepfake fraud

Keep the reference number; some banks ask for it. IC3 complaints are what its annual Internet Crime Report is built from.

File at ic3.gov · Reports: ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports

Federal Trade Commission

Consumer fraud reporting, including impersonation of government or business

Report at reportfraud.ftc.gov · Consumer guidance: consumer.ftc.gov

Reporting — EU and UK

Your national police or national fraud reporting service

The route that actually leads to a case file differs by country

There is no single EU-wide consumer fraud report line, and we will not invent one. Search for your country's police fraud reporting page on its official domain, and report to your bank in parallel. If a payment crossed a border, say so — it matters for which authority picks it up.

Europol public awareness material

Background on cross-border fraud patterns

Europol does not take reports from the public; it supports national authorities. Report nationally first. europol.europa.eu

Primary sources for every rule we quote

FCC Declaratory Ruling on AI voices (FCC 24-17)

Adopted 8 February 2024 — an AI-generated voice is an "artificial or prerecorded voice" under the TCPA

PDF: docs.fcc.gov · Our summary: Are AI voice robocalls illegal?

FTC Impersonation of Government and Businesses Rule

Effective 1 April 2024

Rule page: ftc.gov · Federal Register: federalregister.gov

EU AI Act and the Digital Omnibus on AI

Article 50 transparency from 2 August 2026; machine-readable marking and two new prohibitions from 2 December 2026; high-risk duties deferred to 2 December 2027 and 2 August 2028

Regulation (EU) 2026/1744: EUR-Lex · Obligation-by-obligation ledger on our parent site: what applies now vs what got deferred

Deliberately not listed

Any paid "fund recovery" service. People who have just lost money are the target of the second wave, and no legitimate agency charges an upfront fee to return stolen funds.
Security products, call-blocking apps, identity-theft subscriptions and courses. We take no affiliate money and make no product recommendations.
Loss statistics we cannot trace to the publishing agency's own report. Where we cite a number, the report it came from is linked.

Chinese-language readers: the sibling site 识骗 covers the same ground under Chinese law and reporting routes. Last updated 2026-09-15.