Complaint Form - Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Depends
Confidence: Medium
File here if you are a victim of internet-enabled crime and want a free, official record with the FBI.
New check
Comparison
Complaint Form - Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) lands on Depends, and ReportFraud.ftc.gov lands on Worth it.
File here if you are a victim of internet-enabled crime and want a free, official record with the FBI.
Use it if you have been scammed . it is the FTC's official, free reporting portal and reports feed law-enforcement databases.
| Compare | Complaint Form - Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | ReportFraud.ftc.gov |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Worth it |
| Best for | Victims of online scams and fraud | Scam victims reporting fraud |
| Who it's not for | Anyone expecting their stolen money back | Identity theft victims . use instead |
| Privacy | Official FBI service; no public vulnerabilities found, but heavily targeted by impersonation phishing scams.⁵ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | Complaints feed analysis, not individual casework | Phone fallback if online filing fails. |
| Public sentiment | Victims find filing quick and worthwhile for creating an official record, but consistently warn it will not recover stolen funds.³ | Redditors actively push each other to file reports there, treating it as the default destination for scam calls and fraud. |
| Biggest gotcha | Scammers impersonate IC3 by email and phone; IC3 never demands money⁷ | Identity theft belongs on, not here.15 |