Most people who get scammed never report it. Some feel embarrassed. Some assume nothing will happen. Some don't know where to go. The result is that the same scammer moves on to the next victim, and the one after that, because nobody created a paper trail.
Reporting matters — even when you don't get your money back. Law enforcement agencies build cases from patterns. One report might not trigger an investigation. Ten reports about the same person almost certainly will. Here is every place you should report, what each one does, and how to write a report that actually gets read.
This is the most important step and the one people skip most often because they assume the police "won't do anything about a small amount." File anyway. Here's why:
How to file: Call Miami-Dade Police non-emergency at 305-476-5423, or go in person to any district station. For online fraud under $10,000, many jurisdictions accept a report by phone. Ask for a copy of your report and the case number in writing.
If the scammer is in another county or state, you can still file with Miami-Dade if that's where you are. The report documents that a crime occurred against a Miami resident, which gives local detectives jurisdiction to investigate.
The Florida AG's Consumer Protection Division investigates businesses and individuals engaged in deceptive practices. They can issue cease-and-desist orders, pursue civil penalties, and refer cases for criminal prosecution. They track complaint patterns — if multiple people report the same person or business, the AG can take action even when a single police report wouldn't trigger anything.
The FTC is the federal agency responsible for consumer fraud. They don't investigate individual cases, but they feed reports into a national database used by law enforcement at every level — local, state, and federal. When agencies see a pattern of reports tied to the same name, phone number, or email, it triggers investigations.
If your scam involved the internet — email, social media, a website, online marketplace, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency — report it to the FBI's IC3. This is the primary agency for online fraud, romance scams, business email compromise, and investment fraud. The IC3 shares reports with FBI field offices and can initiate federal investigations for large-scale operations.
The BBB Scam Tracker is a public database where anyone can submit and read scam reports. It's searchable by name, location, and scam type. Unlike law enforcement reports, BBB reports are public — meaning other potential victims searching the scammer's name may find your report and be protected.
If the fraud involved a financial product — a loan, a bank account, a payment app, a mortgage, or a credit card — report it to the CFPB as well. The CFPB has enforcement authority over financial companies and can act when those companies are used to facilitate fraud.
Community reporting fills the gap that official channels miss. When someone has scammed people but hasn't been formally charged, they have a clean record in every government database. A report on MiamiScammers.com puts their name and face in front of people who are about to be their next victim.
Vague reports get filed and forgotten. Detailed reports get acted on. Here's what every report should include:
Do not wait. Reports filed immediately after the fraud are taken more seriously and investigated more aggressively. Evidence — phone numbers, email accounts, social media profiles — disappears quickly once a scammer knows they've been caught. File everything within 24–48 hours if possible.
File everywhere. These agencies share data with each other. Filing in multiple places doesn't create duplicate work — it increases the chance your report lands on the desk of the person with the authority to act on it. It takes 30 extra minutes and could mean a scammer faces real consequences instead of moving on to their next victim.