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How to Report Financial Fraud

Last updated: November 2025

Step-by-step guidance on reporting financial fraud to the right authorities. Acting quickly improves your chances of recovery and helps protect others from the same scheme.

Before You Report

Gather as much evidence as possible before filing your report. The more detail you provide, the more useful your report will be to investigators.

Evidence checklist:

  • Screenshots of all communications (emails, messages, social media)
  • Transaction records — bank statements, crypto transaction hashes
  • Website URLs, email addresses, and phone numbers used
  • Any contracts, account statements, or documents provided
  • Names, usernames, and profile photos of those involved
  • Dates and a timeline of events

Important: do not confront the fraudster or warn them that you’re reporting. This may cause them to destroy evidence or disappear before investigators can act.

Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) — United Kingdom 🇬🇧

The FCA regulates financial services in the UK. Report unauthorised firms, clone firms, and investment scams.

What to include: the firm or individual’s name and contact details, the FCA registration number they claimed, how you were contacted, the amount invested and transaction dates, the bank account details used to receive your money, and any supporting documentation.

What happens next: the FCA will add the firm to its Warning List if appropriate and may launch an investigation. It can’t recover your money directly, but its action helps prevent others from being scammed.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) — United States 🇺🇸

The SEC regulates securities markets in the US. Report investment fraud, Ponzi schemes, and unregistered securities offerings.

What to include: the company or individual’s name, a description of the investment and how it was sold to you, the amount invested and dates, how you were contacted, any documentation (prospectuses, statements, emails), and names of other potential victims if known.

What happens next: the SEC reviews all tips and may open a formal investigation. Whistleblowers who provide original information may be eligible for awards of 10–30% of sanctions collected.

Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) — Australia 🇦🇺

ASIC regulates financial services in Australia. Report unlicensed operators, investment scams, and financial fraud.

What to include: the firm’s name and contact details, the AFSL number they claimed to hold, how you were approached, transaction details, website and social media URLs, and all correspondence.

What happens next: ASIC assesses your report and may add the firm to its warning list, investigate, or refer it to other agencies. It also shares information with international regulators.

Action Fraud — United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, covering all types of fraud including investment scams.

What to include: your contact details, a full timeline of how the fraud occurred, all financial transactions, how you were first contacted, all communications with the fraudster, and any websites, phone numbers, or emails used.

What happens next: Action Fraud passes reports to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), which analyses patterns and passes cases to police forces for investigation. You’ll receive a crime reference number.

FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) — United States 🇺🇸

The FBI’s IC3 accepts online complaints about internet-facilitated crime, including investment fraud, romance scams, and crypto fraud.

What to include: your contact information, financial institution details, a detailed description of how you were victimised, all transaction information, and any emails, websites, phone numbers, or usernames used by the fraudsters.

What happens next: IC3 reviews complaints and refers them to appropriate law enforcement agencies. Aggregated data is used to identify trends and support investigations — you may be contacted by law enforcement directly.

What to Expect After Reporting

Reporting fraud matters even if you don’t expect to recover your money.

  • Timeline: investigations take time, often months or years. Don’t expect immediate action or frequent updates — regulators prioritise cases based on scale and evidence quality.
  • Recovery: direct recovery through a regulatory complaint is rare, unless the firm was authorised and has recoverable assets. Criminal prosecutions sometimes result in confiscation orders that benefit victims.
  • Collective impact: your report matters even if nothing happens in your individual case. Aggregated reports help regulators identify patterns, issue warnings, and build cases against organised fraud networks.
  • Protecting others: regulatory warnings based on victim reports — the FCA Warning List, SEC investor alerts, ASIC warnings — all depend on people reporting in the first place.

Other Regulators & Resources

  • Europol (EU) — cross-border EU fraud
  • Scamwatch (Australia) — consumer scam reports
  • RCMP (Canada) — Canadian fraud reporting
  • Interpol — international fraud coordination
  • CISA (US) — US cybercrime reporting
  • NCSC (UK) — UK cybercrime reporting

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I report to my regulator, the police, or both? Both, where they exist separately. Financial regulators (FCA, SEC, ASIC) focus on the firm’s authorisation status and can issue warnings or take enforcement action; national fraud/cybercrime bodies (Action Fraud, IC3) focus on criminal investigation. Reporting to both gives you the best coverage.

Will reporting fraud get my money back? Rarely directly. Reporting builds the evidence base regulators and law enforcement use to warn others and pursue cases — recovery, when it happens, more often comes through the firm’s remaining assets in a prosecution, a compensation scheme (if the firm was authorised), or civil legal action. See our Compensation Schemes and Find a Fraud Lawyer guides for recovery options specifically.

How long should I wait before reporting? Report as soon as you realise something is wrong — don’t wait until you’re certain, and don’t confront the fraudster first. Early reports give investigators the best chance of freezing assets or catching a scheme before it collapses.

What if the platform operated across multiple countries? Report to the regulator and fraud authority in your own country regardless — international regulators like Interpol and Europol coordinate cross-border cases, and your national report is still the right starting point.

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