FAQ

How to Report an Active Scam
1. Select the Type of Scam
Choose the category that best matches your situation from the drop-down list (e.g., online purchase scam, impersonation scam, crypto scam, romance scam, business dispute, etc.). This helps us route your report correctly.

2. Choose the Scam Details
Use the drop-downs to select key information, such as:

How you were contacted (text, email, phone, social media, website, etc.)
Whether money or personal information was taken
The platform, app, or business involved
Whether the scam is ongoing, completed, or attempted
These quick selections give structure to your report.

3. Describe What Happened
Write your narrative in your own words. Include:

How the scam began
What the scammer said or did
Any instructions you were given
How you responded
What the outcome was
This is your chance to tell the full story so others can recognize the pattern.
4. Add Supporting Evidence (Optional but Helpful)
Upload any screenshots, emails, chat logs, receipts, documents, or other proof you have. These help us verify details and create a more accurate report.

5. Review and Submit Your Report
Make sure your information is accurate, then submit your report securely to ScamUSA.org. A volunteer or reviewer may contact you if clarification is needed.

What to Expect After You’ve Reported a Scam
After you submit a scam report, our team begins reviewing your information right away. In many cases, a volunteer may contact you with follow-up questions or requests for clarification. This helps us fully understand your experience and ensures your report is as accurate and helpful as possible.

If your report involves an active business, platform, or a scammer impersonating a business, our Volunteer Network will continue the investigation by gathering additional context, checking for patterns, and confirming key details. When appropriate, ScamUSA.org will contact the business through our Business Report Platform to request their side of the story, their policies, and any supporting information. If your situation involves financial loss or harm, the business will also be asked to remedy or remediate the issue when appropriate—such as issuing a refund, correcting an error, or addressing fraudulent impersonation.

Once your report is fully reviewed and verified, ScamUSA.org will create a clear, factual summary and publish it. You’ll receive a shareable file that you can send to friends, family, or your community — and you can also post and share it on your personal social media. Whether your report serves as a warning to others or highlights a business that corrected the issue and acted responsibly, it becomes part of the larger effort to bring transparency, clarity, and accountability to the public. Your voice becomes part of a protective shield that keeps our communities informed and empowered.

Legitimate businesses play an essential role in protecting the public from scams. By supporting ScamUSA.org, your company helps strengthen community awareness, restore trust in communication channels, and promote transparent, scam-free interactions between businesses and customers. Sharing our resources, educational content, and public alerts helps reduce the spread of scams and empowers people to recognize threats before they’re targeted.

Joining ScamUSA.org as a supporting business shows your commitment to consumer safety and helps create a safer environment for your customers, employees, and the broader community. Find out how your business can share important information, support public awareness, and better your community by joining ScamUSA.org today. Your participation amplifies the public’s fight against scams and helps build a more trustworthy marketplace for everyone.

Submitting an Inquiry About a Potential or Possible Scam

If you’re unsure whether something is a scam or simply want guidance before taking action, you can submit an Inquiry through our reporting form. Just open the form and select “Inquiry” instead of “Active Scam” or “Completed Scam.” Provide a brief description of what happened, what you’re unsure about, and include any screenshots or details that may help.

Our team will review your inquiry, look for known patterns, and let you know whether it appears to be a scam or if more information is needed. This quick step helps protect you and allows us to track emerging scam tactics before they spread. We are also in the process of building a community-based communication platform that will soon offer live feedback and assistance for inquiries or suspected scam activity, giving you real-time support as you navigate these situations.

You have more power than you think. One of the most effective ways to fight scams is simply by sharing information. When you pass along verified reports, alerts, or articles to the people you care about, you help build a wider circle of awareness — and every person who learns the signs of a scam becomes one less victim. If everyone shared just a little of what they know, scammers would lose the secrecy they depend on.

Beyond sharing information, you can make an even greater impact by joining the ScamUSA.org Volunteer Network. Our volunteers come from all backgrounds and use their unique skills — whether it’s communication, research, tech, writing, or community outreach — to help protect the public. By contributing your time and talent, you become an active part of the nationwide fight against scams and fraud, helping create a safer and more informed community for everyone.

You are welcome to notify us about a scam involving someone else by sending the details through our email communication channel. This helps us stay aware of emerging scams, patterns, and threats affecting the public. However, for an official ScamUSA.org report, we must receive the information directly from the actual victim. Because we maintain a factual, verifiable event log, we cannot accept third-party submissions through the main reporting system. Only firsthand reports can be included in our verified platform and published as shareable scam reports.

That said, your involvement still matters. You can encourage and assist your friend or loved one in submitting their report through the official report channel so their experience can be properly documented and published. Any third-party information you send through our email communication channel will still be reviewed, investigated, and may be used to create independent educational articles or awareness posts to help protect the public. We simply will not be able to issue an official report to you as the complainant since you were not the victim. Your effort to notify us is still valuable and helps us monitor and expose new scam activity.