Who to call and where to report
The free help lines and reporting sites by situation: money moved, identity, a hacked account, a lost phone, or a report only. Each row says what the organization does and does not do.
If money has left your account, the first call is your bank or card company, at the number on your card. Reporting comes after. Every number below was read on the organization's own page on 2026-10-19. Copy the ones you need onto your numbers sheet; before you call, look the number up again on the organization's own site, typed in yourself.
Scammers pose as the FTC, the FBI, IC3 and the hotlines below, and offer to get money back for a fee. Government agencies do not charge to return money, the FTC says. Anyone who asks for a fee to recover a loss is a scammer (When something goes wrong).
| Situation | Organization | Number or site | Hours | What they do and do not do | Source, checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Money left your account, or you paid by card | Your bank or card company | The number on the back of your card, or on your statement | Usually around the clock; the card says | Can try to stop or reverse a payment, and close or replace a card. Acting quickly matters. Whether money comes back depends on how it was sent (When something goes wrong). | CFPB; 2026-10-19 |
| Any scam, fraud or bad business practice | Federal Trade Commission (FTC) | ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or 1-877-382-4357 | Online any time | Shares reports with more than 2,000 law enforcers. It says it cannot resolve your individual report. | ReportFraud.ftc.gov; 2026-10-19 |
| A crime that happened online, especially if money moved | FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | ic3.gov | Online any time | Analyzes complaints and may refer them to law enforcement. Report quickly when money moved. IC3 does not contact people who file, so a caller who says they are from IC3 is not. | IC3; 2026-10-19 |
| Help reporting fraud, with a person on the phone | National Elder Fraud Hotline (US Department of Justice) | 1-833-372-8311 (833-FRAUD-11) | Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern; English, Spanish and other languages | Assigns a case manager who helps you report. The hotline warns that scammers pose as its staff. | Office for Victims of Crime; 2026-10-19 |
| To check whether something is a scam, or for support after one | AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline | 877-908-3360 | Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern | Free guidance and support for anyone. It does not investigate or recover money. | AARP; 2026-10-19 |
| You gave out your Social Security number, or someone used your identity | IdentityTheft.gov (FTC) | IdentityTheft.gov | Online any time | Builds a recovery plan with letters and forms. An optional account tracks progress. | IdentityTheft.gov; 2026-10-19 |
| Freeze or lift your credit | Equifax | (888) 298-0045, or online | See the bureau's page | Free to place, lift and remove. The paid lock and plans on the same page are a different product. | Equifax; 2026-10-19 |
| Freeze or lift your credit | Experian | 1-888-397-3742 (1-888-EXPERIAN), or online | See the bureau's page | Free. A paid membership includes a lock, which is a different product. | Experian; 2026-10-19 |
| Freeze or lift your credit | TransUnion | Online, through a free TransUnion account | See the bureau's page | Free to freeze, unfreeze and lift. We list no phone number: we could not read one on TransUnion's own page. | TransUnion; 2026-10-19 |
| Cash or gold sent by mail or courier | US Postal Inspection Service | 1-877-876-2455 | See the agency's page | Investigates mail used in fraud. | FTC, phone scams; 2026-10-19 |
| Someone posing as Social Security, or misuse of your Social Security number | Social Security Office of the Inspector General | 1-800-269-0271, or oig.ssa.gov | Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern | Takes reports of Social Security fraud and imposters. | SSA; 2026-10-19 |
| Medicare charges you do not recognize | Medicare | 1-800-633-4227 (1-800-MEDICARE) | See Medicare's page | Takes reports of Medicare fraud. Medicare says it will never call to sell you anything. | Medicare.gov; 2026-10-19 |
| Help reading Medicare statements, in your state | Senior Medicare Patrol (your state's Medicare fraud help line) | 877-808-2468, then your state | See the program's page | Helps you check statements and report suspected errors or fraud. | SMP Resource Center; 2026-10-19 |
| A spam text | Your phone company | Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) | Any time | Lets the carrier block similar texts. Then delete the text. | FTC, spam texts; 2026-10-19 |
| A phishing email | Anti-Phishing Working Group | Forward the email to reportphishing@apwg.org | Any time | Collects phishing reports. Then delete the email. | FTC, phishing; 2026-10-19 |
| Someone who cannot protect themself is being exploited | Adult Protective Services, through the Eldercare Locator | 1-800-677-1116 (call or text), or your state's APS line | See the locator's page | Connects you with the local agency that takes reports. All calls to state lines are confidential, NAPSA says. | Eldercare Locator, NAPSA; 2026-10-19 |
| Someone in your home may react badly to changes in sharing or passwords | National Domestic Violence Hotline | 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or chat on the site | 24 hours a day, free and confidential | Advocates help plan for safety, including tech safety, before changes are made. | The Hotline; 2026-10-19 |
A hacked account goes to the company's own recovery page, not to a phone line. Google says you cannot call it for help signing in, and Microsoft says its agents cannot send reset links (Getting back in, When something goes wrong). A lost phone: mark it lost first, then call your phone company (quick start). Every number is checked again at the yearly link review, next due 2027-10-19.
These organizations take reports and give guidance; none of them can promise to recover money, and the FTC and IC3 say they do not resolve individual cases. Whether a loss is covered is a question for your bank, the CFPB or a lawyer, not this table.