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Consumer Right Scams & Fraud Reviewed Sep 6, 2026 Source: Federal Trade Commission

Fraud Reporting Rights and Options

Where to start when you were scammed, targeted, impersonated or pressured into sending money or information.

Start With First Steps Evidence Checklist Reporting Path Open Defentra
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01

Right Summary

The main consumer right or issue explained fast

Consumers can report fraud and scams to official reporting systems. Reporting helps create records, support enforcement data and guide next steps.

02

What This Means

Plain-English breakdown of the problem

Fraud reporting is not the same as guaranteed recovery. The right path depends on what happened: bank transfer, credit card, wire, gift card, crypto, fake check, identity theft, online marketplace, phone scam or business practice.

03

What To Save

Evidence that can matter later
Proof Receipts, bills, letters, emails, screenshots, account records, photos, videos or notices.
Timeline Dates, times, names, phone numbers, websites, payment details and support case numbers.
Responses Save every reply from the business, bank, collector, agency, platform or provider.

Save messages, phone numbers, emails, URLs, usernames, receipts, transaction IDs, wallet addresses, gift card numbers, screenshots, shipping/tracking and names used.

04

What To Do First

The first clean action path

Stop contact, secure affected accounts, contact the payment provider immediately and report through the correct official channel.

05

What Not To Do

Common mistakes that can make the issue worse

Do not pay a recovery company promising guaranteed money back. Do not keep talking to the scammer. Do not delete messages.

06

Where To Report Or Escalate

Possible complaint, agency, company or platform paths

FTC ReportFraud.gov for fraud and bad business practices; IC3 for internet crime; payment provider or bank for payment disputes; IdentityTheft.gov for identity theft.

08

Defentra / Elite Action

How this resource connects to evidence, scanning and action

Use Defentra to scan the scam content, save evidence and create a report timeline.

Open Defentra Report A Scam Elite Support
09

Source / Review File

Internal quality and trust signals
Resource Type Consumer Right
Resource Area Scams & Fraud
Last Reviewed Sep 6, 2026
Primary Source Federal Trade Commission
10

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Educational Notice

Important limitation

This resource is educational and organizational. It is not legal advice, financial advice or a guarantee of any outcome. Rights, deadlines, reporting paths and requirements can vary by state, account type, product, service, contract, agency rules and case facts.