Where to report fraud in the us

ReportFraud.ftc.gov

I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly getting emails from scammers about nonexistent parcels that can’t be delivered due to some error in my address. The scammers pose as legitimate businesses like ups, fedex, or usps. The link above is where to report them.

I've been getting a lot of texts posing as delivery companies or as banks. There's also an uptick at this time of the year. I read scammers are changing tactics and using texts/emails instead of phone calls because allegedly the carriers are on to them more regarding calls.

Still, they find a way.....Caller ID can easily be spoofed, showing the real number of a business so you think (they hope) it's actually them calling. Also email addresses and text codes can be spoofed too. I trust nothing and click on nothing.

They also pose as other legit companies like Netflix, Amazon, Apple, etc. I got one saying there's a problem with my Netflix account. I don't have Netflix. I know that doesn't matter; they send out billions of these knowing that a lot of people do. And hope that even a few respond.

Gift cards bought at stores are iffy now, because thieves are collecting the bar code and PIN, then put the card back on the shelf! They then wait for someone to purchase the card. Some kind of special software alerts them but I don't know what. Then they drain the card. When the person who received it tries to use it, it has no balance! They tell people to make sure the card hasn't been tampered with or just get ones behind the cashier's counter.

Yes, I also have gotten the Netflix scam email and I also don’t even have Netflix!

I don't know how old you are, but back in the day people didn't have your number unless you gave it to them or you were in the phone (printed!) book. Personally I think all this technology that is supposed to make our lives easier makes us more vulnerable to scams. We didn't get many unwanted calls, just the occasional wrong number or maybe a sales call from a company you already did business with.

No cell phones in those days, no emails, no social media, no Internet, no ATM's, etc. Less information about people to float around without all of that.

I've gotten every scam out there, except the grandkid is in jail scam. AI scares me to death, because AI can mimic a grandchild's voice (they get it off social media) and of course spoof the number. Then some people really do believe their grandchild is in jail in Mexico or something!

The Do Not Call list is a joke. Scammers probably obtained that directory---I'm on it. And for some reason, they call my cell phone a lot---hardly my landline. AND my landline is smart enough to "know" when I've gotten repeat calls from a number, whereas the cell isn't.

Recently I had to create online accounts because our mailboxes got broken into about a month ago! I can't risk certain statements falling into the wrong hands, yet I now have even MORE usernames and passwords to keep up with. And are at risk of being obtained, no matter how "safe or secure" a site claims to be.



Whew...Thanks for this thread so I could vent in the right place.

Our local police (non-emergency) also like to be notified of fraudulent activities.

We were told to report stolen packages and mail to the local police, as well as to the post office. In hindsight, I wonder how many people actually bothered, thinking it won't matter since it's so common now. Supposedly it would help build a case against the person or people. I did my part, but I hope it wasn't just me.

The manager posts a sign saying they are not responsible for thefts and to pick up your mail/packages promptly. Geez, I'm sure nobody is leaving their stuff there on PURPOSE.

This country loves its scams.


I've gotten the package ones, supposedly from the national mail service, Correos Chile. At least, packages being stolen isn't a problem here because we have controlled access with security guards. They can receive packages if we're not home.However, there's another neighborhood just down the road and once a package was left there by accident. That problem was resolved, at least.

Here, calling and impersonating a family member in trouble has existed for years. It's called the "cuento del tío" (uncle story). Someone tried something like that with me once, saying that someone was in a car accident, and they were calling my number because they found it in the glove compartment. No one has my phone number in their glove compartment, and my husband had called me recently to let me know he had arrived at work. I hung up.Supposedly, a lot of those calls are from prisoners who are working with someone outside who actually goes to collect money. There's a whole cottage industry, I guess you could say, of people that throw cell phones, drugs, etc. over prison walls. I called the police about that case, but all they said was that I did the right thing by hanging up and that it was probably a burner phone that won't be used again. So, reporting the number would do nothing.


I've gotten texts about supposed problems with my bank account - always banks where I've never had an account.

I 'm constantly blocking phone numbers on my phone.

The numbers and emails are surely spoofed, as nobody up to nefarious stuff would show where the messages are really coming from. Hence, I gave up on blocking calls or emails. They just display another number or email. But I'm constantly cleaning up my call history.....and another downside to all this technology.

I just got a robocall from a toll free number that called before. Last time it was a message about being eligible for some low cost Internet service, which people who get government benefits ARE eligible. It was probably legit but they did call twice in one hour which was annoying.

Then this morning, they called again, only this time it was warning about electronic theft of benefits between Oct 1 - Nov 30th. Now I'm suspicious, not that I'd ever answer it or go to the website they say go to. Theft is certainly possible, esp. at this time of the year. But would real thieves warn people? No way. It's reverse psychology. I've gotten calls before, from a different number, saying never write your PIN on your card or give it out. And they would never ask for it.

The texts about bank accounts sometimes supposedly came from a bank I do have accounts with, but knew it was a scam because they didn't have my number. Now, they do thanks to having to create online accounts, thanks to old-fashioned theft of our mailboxes about a month ago. So I'll have to confirm it's really them if I get a text, just more hassle and crap to have to deal with. Plus this is the time of the year when they really come out of the woodwork....along with fake "charities" and Covid "survey" companies.

I get waves of spam calls, texts from similar numbers. After blocking a bunch of those, the frequency goes down for a while. Then after some months it starts up again.

For months I've gotten calls on my cell from (424) 459-xxxx. They all said "Scam risk", and the so-called ID was "United States". Umm...that narrows it down a lot considering how big it is. I bet it's from overseas. There's never a message and you're right they call from banks of numbers, usually.

For years I got calls from a collection agency looking for someone else. I never answered. It was for someone who probably had my number before I did. YEARS of calls and from a different number each time.

Funny, here it's domestic numbers that start in 44 that usually come with a potential spam warning. From what I can tell 44 is not an area code per se, it's a prefix for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones. I am guessing call centers must use that type of phone.


On a forum for expats living here, a guy just reported yet another scam. We have a password called a clave única here. You use your equivalent of your Social Security Number and the clave única to enter many different government websites. It can be used to pay taxes, access government benefits, obtain important documents, etc. Anyways, he was trying to set up internet service with a new provider and the company asked for his clave única. Obviously, that's not something you want to give out to anyone. Fortunately, he asked the forum if this sounded fishy. The consensus was that it wold be a terrible idea to provide that.

In the US, placing yourself on the Do Not Call registry is pretty effective. I read some years ago that https://www.donotcall.gov/ had been the most popular consumer protection move by the Federal Trade Commission. I do not know if it is true as of now, but it was true as of several years ago.

I have been on DNC for years and I rarely if ever get offensive calls or texts.

And GMAIL is pretty effective in filtering out spam. What email provider are you using that lets these offensive emails through?

I use gmail. These emails are filtered into the spam folder and I report them as phishing when it gives me the option, but I still get 3-5 daily. I check the spam folder to make sure nothing important gets filtered there accidentally.

Some email providers are better than others at putting junk where it belongs, but something always gets through. The scammers are getting smarter. Yahoo used to be terrible at collecting a lot of spam but it abruptly stopped. It's an address I use to log in to some sites and it used to collect a lot of spam.

The DNC list actually made me get MORE calls, once I got on it. And it only applies to telemarketers, not surveys, political campaigns or charities. Since so many numbers and company names can be spoofed, I don't report calls from a company that could be innocent. Answering the phone also alerts whoever is calling your number is "live". By that it means a human answers, so they will either call you more or give your number to others. I'm sure nefarious people use the numbers on DNC to call people.

If they aren't selling anything, they can call you. Scammers don't care about DNC laws either. I don't know if DNC will allow cell numbers to register, I haven't tried it. They certainly don't stop texts, as I get those from strange emails or short codes like 04101000.

Personally I think it's a losing battle. I just know I get way more calls on my cell and it's not even smart enough to detect repeat calls, like my home phone.

I get several calls a week, sometimes several in just one day.

:arg:

I am very surprised to hear that. I have used GMAIL since its launch and by now it is very effective at filtering spam. In terms of false positives (was incorrectly identified as spam), I very occasionally get something good from the spam filter. In terms of false negatives, I get a spam email in my primary inbox maybe once a month, maybe even less frequently. At some point I got spam from ****'s Sporting Goods but I marked it spam and the filtering mechanism learned.

I wonder, is your Gmail inbox separated into primary, promotions, social and updates?

Also folks, don't respond to an unsolicited text by saying "Stop" or "Unsubscribe." This lets them know it's a live number. I once got a text from a company I never heard of, claiming I "opted in" to receive their texts. I didn't and almost sent "stop" but thought maybe not. And I never heard from them again.

Yes, all these scam emails are going into the spam folder. I rarely get a scam email in my regular inbox. I don’t use email for anything but notifications really, so no need to make multiple folders. I get more scam emails than legitimate emails.

So they are going into the spam folder. Then I do not see what you consider wrong with your email experince. Everything seems to be working as expected. It is well known that 99% of emails out there are spam. As long as they are being properly caught and filtered, what's wrong?

Regarding messaging STOP to texts: I have done it where the sender sent me legitimate promotional materials because I had earlier established a customer relationship with them. But when I got tired of the texts, I texted STOP. I also sometimes texted STOP to uninvited texts. Each time, the marketer respected the STOP and I never heard from them again.

Nothing is wrong per se. I just like to report scammers posing as legitimate businesses like ups, usps, & FedEx.

I also like to go on Facebook & report advertisements for counterfeit stamps. Usps never sells stamps at a discount, so it’s a dead giveaway.

Yes, legit companies will honor the STOP request or if you opted in, but I didn't opt in. It doesn't mean they are "scammy" but they don't need to know my number is live. Since I didn't know of the company, I just didn't reply. Safer that way. I never even heard of them, let alone do business with them.

Years ago before this was so widespread, I got a text from a dental office reminding me of my appointment. My phone wasn't "smart" then, and replying stop or cancel didn't work. They had the wrong number/patient. It was annoying. I found out the phone number and talked to a human, saying they are texting the wrong person and to STOP. They apologized profusely and I never got another one again. So it was a mistake, which anyone can make.

These days I'm not so trusting and don't automatically assume they just made a mistake. There's actually those "wrong number' texts or calls too, made on purpose. They leave an urgent sounding message for someone else, hoping you call back to say they made a mistake! Then they have your number or have you on the line to try to scam you or sell something.

I've heard of those supposed wrong number text/calls where they are trying to confirm it's a valid number for a potential future scam. I got a text recently about setting up an appointment for a property for rent. I blocked them.


Gmail's spam filter works pretty well for me. I check it on occasion because sometimes an email I do want gets sent to Spam.

Facebook leaves the ads up, unfortunately. I also report them to the postal inspection service at PostageFraudReporting@uspis.gov

In other news, my spam folder has been empty the last couple of days—very unusual! I guess the scammers are on vacation or something…