Who does what after a report
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center collects complaints and shares them with law enforcement, but it does not open an investigation for every report or update people on individual cases. Local police can take a report, which banks and insurers often want, though their reach can be limited when the other side is in another state or country. The FTC uses complaints to spot patterns and bring cases against businesses rather than to recover money for individuals one by one. Your bank or payment provider is usually the quickest place where a specific transaction might still be stopped or reversed. Filing with all of them is common, and each report should describe the same facts the same way.
Keeping the evidence usable
Save the website address, usernames, email headers, phone numbers, transaction IDs, and wallet addresses if crypto was involved. Take screenshots that show dates and full URLs, and export chats rather than relying on an app that may delete them. A clear timeline helps, covering when you first noticed the problem and whom you contacted, and it can be prepared for your report or with your lawyer. Do not keep engaging with the person to gather more proof. Be wary of anyone who offers to trace or recover the money for an upfront fee, since those offers are often a second fraud.
When the other side can be reached
A civil claim becomes practical when there is someone identifiable to pursue, such as a U.S. business that took payment and did not deliver, or a person whose bank account received the funds. Courts can sometimes authorize subpoenas to banks or platforms to identify an account holder, and in some cases a prompt request can freeze money still sitting in an account. Those steps cost money and take time, so the amount lost and the chance of collecting both matter. Platforms themselves are often shielded from liability for what users post, which narrows claims against them. Our first conversation covers what is known about the other side and gives you a realistic view of whether litigation is worth it.
