How to Report Internet Related Crime

Internet-related crime, like any other crime, should be reported to appropriate law enforcement investigative authorities at the local, state, federal, or international levels, depending on the scope of the crime.  Citizens who are aware of federal crimes should report them to local offices of federal law enforcement.

The primary federal law enforcement agencies that investigate domestic crime on the Internet include: the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Secret Service, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) , the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) . Each of these agencies has offices conveniently located in every state to which crimes may be reported. Contact information regarding these local offices may be found in local telephone directories. In general, federal crime may be reported to the local office of an appropriate law enforcement agency by a telephone call and by requesting the "Duty Complaint Agent."

Each law enforcement agency also has a headquarters (HQ) in Washington, D.C., which has agents who specialize in particular areas. For example, the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service both have headquarters-based specialists in computer intrusion (i.e., computer hacker) cases.

To determine some of the federal investigative law enforcement agencies that may be appropriate for reporting certain kinds of crime, please refer to the following table:
 
 

Type of Crime
Appropriate federal investigative law enforcement agencies
Computer intrusion (i.e. hacking) 
Password trafficking 
Copyright (software, movie, sound recording) piracy 
Theft of trade secrets 
Trademark counterfeiting 
Counterfeiting of currency 
Child Pornography or Exploitation 
Child Exploitation and Internet Fraud matters that have a mail nexus 
Internet fraud and SPAM
Internet harassment 
Internet bomb threats 
Trafficking in explosive or incendiary devices or firearms over the Internet 


The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).  IC3's mission is to serve as a vehicle to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding arena of cyber crime. The IC3 gives the victims of cyber crime a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations. For law enforcement and regulatory agencies at the federal, state, and local level, IC3 provides a central referral mechanism for complaints involving Internet related crimes.

See Also: OnDemand | 2024 Phishing Insights: What 11.9 Million User Behaviors Reveal About Your Risk


Other Government Initiatives to Combat Cybercrime

 Go to . . . CCIPS home page || Justice Department home page



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