FTC urges consumers to report scams to help warn others
The FTC says reporting fraud helps investigators spot patterns, support cases and flag new scams for consumer alerts.
The FTC is urging people who spot a scam to report it and share what happened, saying the information can help law enforcement and warn other consumers.
People who run into fraud should tell the FTC, the agency said in a Consumer Alert published Aug. 28, 2026. The alert says many people experience scams but never report them, and scammers rely on that silence.
The agency said even a short conversation with friends or family about what the scam looked like can help someone recognize it later. The FTC also said that filing a report sends the information into Consumer Sentinel Network, which it describes as a secure national database available to local, state and federal law enforcement.
According to the alert, FTC investigators, lawyers, analysts and other staff review reports to spot patterns and build cases. The agency said those reports also help staff identify new scams for Consumer Alerts.
The FTC pointed readers to its “Why Report Fraud” video as an example of how reporting can make a difference. It also said people should tell at least one person in their life about what the scam looked like so that person can recognize it.
There was no specific fraud scheme, enforcement action, company or dollar amount in the alert. The post is aimed at people who may have seen a scam and are deciding whether to report it or talk about it.
The FTC did not announce a new rule or case in the alert. Instead, it used the post to encourage reporting as a way to help consumers and support law enforcement work already underway.
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Editorial note: This article was prepared with AI assistance and includes source attribution for reader review.
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