How to Report a Scam Email — Step-by-Step Guide by Country
Reporting scam emails helps protect others and can help law enforcement track down fraud networks. But where do you actually report them? This guide shows you exactly where and how to report scam emails in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.
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Why Reporting Matters
Reporting Protects Others
Every scam email you report helps fraud agencies identify patterns, shut down scam operations, and warn others. Reporting takes a few minutes and can prevent someone else from losing money.
Reporting scam emails isn't just about your situation — it feeds data into national and international fraud databases that law enforcement uses to track and prosecute scam networks. The more reports agencies receive about a particular scam campaign, the faster they can act. Here's exactly how to report in each country.
United States
Additional US reporting channels:
- FBI IC3 (ic3.gov) — For internet-enabled crimes, especially if money was lost
- IRS phishing — Report through the official IRS phishing page at irs.gov
- Forward spam texts to 7726 (SPAM)
- Identity theft — Report and create a recovery plan at identitytheft.gov
United Kingdom
Additional UK reporting channels:
- Forward phishing emails to the NCSC — report through ncsc.gov.uk
- Forward scam texts to 7726
- HMRC phishing — Report through the NCSC at ncsc.gov.uk
Canada
Additional Canadian reporting channels:
- CRA phishing — Report through the official CRA scam page at canada.ca
- Government of Canada phishing — Report through the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security at cyber.gc.ca
Australia
Additional Australian reporting channels:
- ATO phishing — Report through the official ATO scam page at ato.gov.au
- IDCARE (1800 595 160) — Free identity theft support
Ireland
Additional Irish reporting channels:
- Revenue phishing — Report through the official Revenue website at revenue.ie
- FraudSMART (fraudsmart.ie) — Banking fraud awareness
New Zealand
Additional NZ reporting channels:
- CERT NZ (cert.govt.nz) — Cyber security incident reporting
- NZ Police — Report to your local police station for financial losses
Sources
- FTC: How to report fraud
- Action Fraud UK — About Action Fraud
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre — About the CAFC
- Scamwatch Australia — Report a scam
- Netsafe NZ — How to report