Whether it’s a false message claiming your trademark is about to expire (unless you transfer money immediately) or a message threatening to ruin your credit if you don’t pay for unordered office supplies, scammers are targeting small businesses. You can help the FTC and its partners fight fraud, and you don’t even need to wear a superhero cape (unless you want to). Your story is your superpower. When you report scams, scams, and other bad B2B practices to the FTC, you help the FTC and our law enforcement partners detect and stop scams. For your convenience, the Federal Trade Commission has just launched ReportFraud.ftc.gov – a new version of the FTC Consumer Reports website. But don’t let this description fool you. It also works for small businesses.
By following a few simple steps at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, more than 3,000 federal, state and local law enforcement officials across the country can immediately access your report. After you tell us what happened, you’ll get recommendations from ReportFraud.ftc.gov on what next steps you can take to recover and protect yourself and your small business from scams. Want to see how it works? Watch this “how to” video.
Why report fraud? Because your reporting can make a difference. We use reports like yours to investigate, file enforcement cases, and alert companies and consumers to scams so they can protect themselves, their businesses, their friends, and their families. The FTC also uses reporting to share data about what’s happening in your community. You can visit ftc.gov/exploredata to check the latest status for your state or metro area.
Additionally, when customers contact you about suspected fraud (including when a scammer is using your company’s name), encourage them to visit ReportFraud.ftc.gov (or ReporteFraude.ftc.gov for Spanish speakers) .
Help us spread the word. By encouraging people to tell the FTC about their experiences at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, you are helping to fight fraud in your community. Thank you – superheroes, keep up the good work!
