# Reporting a scam website **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 5, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reporting-a-scam-website/552648 "2010-09-05T01:16:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aversin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Aversin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aversin)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reporting-a-scam-website/552648/1 "2010-09-05T01:16:53Z")
I was recently scammed attempting to purchase an R4 SDHC card from a website. The website does not have correct contact information listed, and didn’t even send a confirmation that my payment had been received. Some of you might have seen my last thread on paypal disputes regarding this attempted purchase. Seeing as the amount I lost was around $15 I was tempted to write it off as a poor decision and forget about it. I then got to thinking about how many other people could have been scammed by this website and decided I would rather report them. I did a fair bit of searching and the only resource I could come up with was [http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx](http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx). I started filling out their forum and it asked for some information which puzzled me such as “Name of your local police or sheriff’s office” or “Please indicate the initial means of contact with the individual/business that victimized you”. It seems like the site I linked is intended for cases of a larger scope. Is there an easy way to report an obvious scam such as this one? Or a method of reporting purely online fraudulent transactions, with little information on the seller? In other words is there any way I can ensure this website will be taken down, or at least looked in to for its fraud? ---
**Author:** ![AmunRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AmunRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmunRa)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reporting-a-scam-website/552648/2 "2010-09-05T01:22:57Z")
I think the website you found is your best bet. The reason they would want to know your local police department’s info is that prosecuting online crimes is a complicated thing, since the person that defrauded you is likely in a completely different jurisdiction, so it may take the cooperation of multiple law enforcement agencies to do anything. Because there are no “internet police” the only thing you can do is report it to your local PD or the FBI, which it seems is the purpose of the site you already found. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reporting-a-scam-website/552648/3 "2010-09-05T01:29:12Z")
Contact the owners of the Internet immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Aversin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Aversin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aversin)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reporting-a-scam-website/552648/4 "2010-09-05T07:13:59Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Contact the owners of the Internet immediately. extremely helpful, I’m glad you responded to my thread and I’ll get right on it ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reporting-a-scam-website/552648/5 "2010-09-05T07:23:09Z")
this site looks legit and is the first hit when you google ‘report scam web site’ (no quotes) - [How to Report a Scam](http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/reporting.php) ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reporting-a-scam-website/552648/6 "2010-09-05T14:36:03Z")
I was just thinking about this when I noticed this spam ad somewhere on Facebook yesterday: [http://livemsnpass.com](http://livemsnpass.com) > [@](#): > > Retrieve any MSN Messenger password > > How? LIVEMSNpass is the only software that allows you to retrieve the password of any MSN Messenger account (Microsoft Hotmail, Live, MSN Messenger). > How to use: The software will decrypt and retrieve the password of the account entered. (SHA and MD5) I’m not going to click anywhere past the landing page, but it seems to be a site that promotes identity theft. Not sure how a site like that can be allowed to continue existing. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reporting-a-scam-website/552648/7 "2010-09-05T16:04:12Z")
Best option is to file a complaint with the [Federal Trade Commission](https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/). > [@](#): > > The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, collects complaints about companies, business practices, identity theft, and episodes of violence in the media. > > Why: Your complaints can help us detect patterns of wrong-doing, and lead to investigations and prosecutions. The FTC enters all complaints it receives into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database that is used by thousands of civil and criminal law enforcement authorities worldwide. ---
**Author:** ![Aversin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Aversin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aversin)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reporting-a-scam-website/552648/8 "2010-09-05T16:52:49Z")
Thanks anson, I’ve submitted my complaint to the website you linked.