Is IC3 Legit? What Happens After You File (and Fake IC3 Scams)

Yes, IC3 is legit. It’s the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov, “the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime” (IC3). But IC3 won’t contact you, doesn’t investigate cases itself and never charges to recover money, and scammers use its name to target people who already lost money (IC3 FAQ, FBI IC3). Here’s what happens after you file, how to write a complaint the FBI can use, and how to spot a fake IC3.

What does IC3 stand for?

IC3 stands for Internet Crime Complaint Center, and it’s run by the FBI (IC3). It opened in May 2000 (2025 IC3 Annual Report, p. 58) as the Internet Fraud Complaint Center and took its current name in October 2003 (IC3).

The real site is www.ic3.gov (FBI IC3), and a .gov address “belongs to an official government organization in the United States” (IC3).

IC3 takes reports of “cyber-enabled crime.” That includes scams by website, email or chat, and “almost all telephone calls,” because they use internet technology (IC3 FAQ). The FBI asks you to file “even if you are unsure of whether your complaint qualifies” (IC3). You can also file for someone else, such as an older parent (IC3 FAQ).

If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local police (IC3).

IC3 review: what happens after you file

Trained IC3 analysts review and research complaints and pass information to law enforcement and partner agencies “as appropriate” (IC3 FAQ). Good to know:

• You won’t hear back from IC3. It doesn’t investigate, so it can’t tell you the status of a complaint. Investigating and prosecuting are up to the agencies that receive it (IC3 FAQ).
• Someone else may contact you. If more information is needed, you’ll hear from FBI employees at a local field office or from other law enforcement officers (FBI IC3, July 2026).
• Save your copy right away. The confirmation page is “the only time” you can keep a copy of your complaint. IC3 won’t email it to you (IC3 FAQ).
• You can’t cancel a complaint. To add details later, file a new one and say it adds to your earlier complaint (IC3 FAQ).
• No attachments. Keep receipts, emails, web pages and chat logs somewhere safe. An agency that opens an investigation may ask you for them (IC3 FAQ).
• Urgent? Go local too. If your case is time sensitive, IC3 says to contact local law enforcement directly (IC3 FAQ).

Does IC3 do anything with your complaint?

Yes, though mostly out of sight. The FBI says complaints are “most impactful in the aggregate.” Combined with other data, they help it connect complaints, investigate crimes, track trends and, “in some cases, even freeze stolen funds.” IC3 also shares reports with FBI field offices and other law enforcement partners (2025 IC3 Annual Report, p. 58).

One example: in 2025, an FBI effort called Operation Level Up used IC3 complaint data to notify 3,780 victims of crypto investment fraud. The FBI says 78% of them didn’t know they were being scammed (IC3 report, p. 20).

In 2025, IC3 received 1,008,597 complaints reporting $20.877 billion in losses (p. 6), nearly 3,000 a day (FBI, April 6, 2026). Because of that volume, it “cannot respond directly to every submission” (IC3). It also doesn’t decide which complaints any agency will investigate (IC3 Privacy Policy).

Can IC3 get your money back?

Sometimes IC3 can help freeze money, but it can’t guarantee any result (IC3 Privacy Policy), and speed matters.

IC3’s Recovery Asset Team, set up in February 2018, works with banks and FBI field offices to help freeze money that victims sent to U.S. accounts under false pretenses. If a complaint meets the team’s criteria, it sends the transaction details to the receiving bank and asks it to freeze the account (IC3). It also works on some international transfers (IC3 report, p. 17).

Most cases used to be business email compromise, where criminals hijack email or other communications to divert a payment (p. 59). In 2025, the team saw more tech support and account takeover cases. That year it acted on 3,900 incidents and helped freeze $679,013,183 of $1,163,919,846 in attempted theft, which the FBI calls a 58% success rate (p. 17).

What the FBI tells victims (p. 17):

1. Call your bank first. When you find a fraudulent transfer, “time is of the essence.” Ask your bank to recall the money. IC3 also suggests asking for a “Hold Harmless Letter or Letter of Indemnity” (IC3).
2. Then file at IC3, “regardless of the amount lost,” with the full transaction details.

Banks have “varying policies” on helping recover funds, the report adds (p. 17). Crypto transactions “cannot be reversed,” though law enforcement can trace them (IC3). Still, the FTC says it’s “always worth asking” the company you paid through (FTC).

How to file a complaint IC3 can use

The FBI says its ability to address a complaint depends on “the accuracy and completeness of the information provided” (IC3 FAQ). Before you start, gather:

• Contact details for the person affected, plus your own if you’re filing for someone else (IC3 FAQ).
• Every payment: date, type, amount, account numbers, and the name and address of the bank that received it (FBI IC3, July 2026).
• Crypto details: wallet addresses, amount and type of cryptocurrency, date and time, and the transaction ID (hash). The FBI calls transaction details “the most important information you can provide” (FBI IC3). If you have only part of a wallet address, include what you have (IC3 complaint form).
• Who contacted you: names, phone numbers, emails, websites and social media profile names (FBI IC3).
• What happened: how contact started, what they asked for, how you were told to pay and what information you gave (FBI IC3).
• Scam emails: paste the entire email, including the header information (IC3 FAQ).

The form’s description box holds 3,500 characters, and the form says not to enter Social Security numbers or dates of birth anywhere in it (IC3 complaint form).

No transaction details? File anyway, with what you have (FBI IC3). If you’re 60 or older, or helping someone who is, the National Elder Fraud Hotline can help you file: 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern (IC3, Office for Victims of Crime).

IC3 scams: fake IC3 agents, websites and recovery offers

Scammers pose as IC3 to target people who already lost money. Almost everyone who reported them said the scammers claimed to have recovered the money or offered to help get it back (FBI IC3, April 2025, July 2026). Scammers can also spoof the phone numbers, names and credentials of agencies, IC3 included (FBI IC3, September 2026).

Recent tricks the FBI describes:

• A fake FBI agent on Facebook Messenger or Telegram sends a link to “update” your IC3 report. The link may carry malicious code or be used to collect financial data (FBI IC3).
• AI-generated videos of a senior FBI leader send people to a copycat IC3 site. It asks only for your name, phone, email, scam type and estimated loss, then gives a reference number and says someone will be in touch (FBI IC3).
• Fake IC3 web addresses use alternate spellings or an ending other than .gov (FBI IC3, September 2025).

What the fake says	What the FBI says
“This is IC3. We recovered your money.”	IC3 “will never directly communicate with individuals via phone, email, social media, phone apps, online chat, or public forums” (FBI IC3).
“Pay a fee or tax to release your funds.”	IC3 “will never ask for payment to recover lost funds” and won’t refer you to a company that charges for it (FBI IC3).
“Message our IC3 page on social media.”	“IC3 does not maintain a social media presence” (FBI IC3).
“Our law firm works with IC3.”	IC3 “does not work with any non-law enforcement entity, such as law firms or crypto services, to recuperate lost funds” (IC3).

To stay safe, type www.ic3.gov into your browser’s address bar instead of searching, and skip “sponsored” results, which the FBI says are usually paid imitators (FBI IC3). If someone says they’re with the FBI, look up your local field office and call it yourself (FBI IC3, June 2024, FBI). Then report the fake at the real IC3 site, including any website link (IC3).

The FTC calls refund and recovery scams “the worst of the worst” and says government agencies “will never ask for money to help you get a refund” (FTC). Among 2025 complaints involving cryptocurrency, IC3 counted 10,516 about recovery scams and saw more reports of scammers posing as government officials and recovery firms (IC3 report, p. 53).

Fake official on the phone? See jury duty and warrant scam calls and is that call really from your bank?

IC3 investment scams and romance scams

IC3 tracks both, and the FBI asks possible victims of any fraud or scam to file at ic3.gov “as soon as possible” (FBI).

Investment scams

Investment fraud caused the largest losses reported to IC3 in 2025: $8,648,617,756 (IC3 report, p. 8). Crypto investment fraud alone accounted for $7.2 billion (p. 11).

IC3 describes a common pattern. A stranger reaches out on social media, by text or on a dating site, builds trust, then pitches an investment on a platform that shows big returns. When you try to cash out, you’re told to pay “taxes” or “fees” first. By then, IC3 says, “the scammers will never unlock the funds” (IC3).

In your complaint, name the websites or apps the scammer had you use and the crypto exchanges you used (FBI IC3). The report-a-scam tool lists other agencies that take investment-fraud reports.

Romance scams

IC3 counts romance scams as “confidence/romance” fraud: someone believes they’re in a relationship, whether family, friendly or romantic, and is tricked into sending money or information. The category includes the grandparent scam (IC3 report, p. 59). In 2025, it drew 23,159 complaints and $929,287,469 in reported losses (pp. 7-8).

The two scams can overlap. IC3 says scammers create fake dating profiles to build a romantic relationship, then bring up investing (IC3). The FTC’s rule: “Never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven’t met in person.” It also says to notify the site or app where you met (FTC). Related: grandparent scams and AI voice clones.

Where else to report, and what to do first

1. Your bank or payment company, first, if money just left. The FTC says to report it right away and ask for a reversal or refund (FTC). Guides by payment type: Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, PayPal and gift cards.
2. The FTC, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. It uses reports to investigate and bring cases, and after you report, you’ll get steps to protect yourself or try to get your money back (FTC). The CFPB lists both the FTC and IC3 as places to report (CFPB).
3. Local police or sheriff, using the non-emergency number or website (CFPB).
4. If a scammer got into your computer or accounts, see tech support scams, clicked a phishing link and email hacked.

The report-a-scam tool lists official channels by scam type, and the scam recovery checklist helps you track each step.

What varies

• Freezing money. It depends on how fast you report, whether your case meets the recovery team’s criteria, and your bank’s policies (IC3, IC3 report, p. 17).
• Crypto. Tracing can get much harder once money moves to exchanges in other countries (IC3), and some states have passed laws that might help crypto scam victims (FTC).
• Privacy. IC3 may share complaint details with other agencies, and because state laws differ, it says it “cannot guarantee” your complaint will stay confidential (IC3 Privacy Policy).