Many consumers receive a variety of unsolicited commercial e-mail (also known as "spam") in their offices or at home. While people don't always like getting spam, much of it has a legitimate business purpose. Unsolicited e-mails, however, are often the initial means for criminals, such as operators of fraudulent schemes, to contact and solicit prospective victims for money, or to commit identity theft by deceiving them into sharing bank and financial account information.
The following information, e-mail addresses and contacts noted below are provided for your reference if you have received a particular type of unsolicited email and would like to report or forward it on to law enforcement authorities.
Internet Fraud
Hurricane Katrina Relief Fraud
The Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force was established by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to combat all types of fraud relating to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, with an initial emphasis on charity fraud, identity theft, insurance fraud, and procurement and government-benefit fraud. See the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force Web Site for more information.
Africa-Based Investment Schemes
An increasing volume of spam consists of e-mail from a person who represents himself or herself as having some African affiliation, and who is soliciting you to help him or her transfer illegally obtained or questionable funds out of a nation in Africa. (Some more recent e-mails purport to involve moving money out of Afghanistan.) These solicitations are fraudulent, and may violate one or more federal criminal laws.
Do not send any money or financial account information if you receive one of these e-mails (or a letter or fax of a similar nature). See the U.S. Secret Service Financial Crimes Division web page for more information.
If you have responded to one of these online solicitations and have lost money, please contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a joint venture of the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, and use theICCC's online complaint form.
Medical Products and Devices
To report e-mail that involves possibly fraudulent claims about medical devices or products (for example, so-called "miracle" cures) please email the Food and Drug Administration at webcomplaints@ora.fda.gov
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Financial Investments
Report investment-related spam e-mails to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission using the SEC Tips, Complaints and Referrals Portal
General
If you want to report other possible online crime, including online fraud (for example, "get-rich-quick" schemes or online auction fraud) whether or not you have lost money, please use the ICCC's online complaint form.
Other Types of Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail
For more information about reporting unsolicited e-mail that does not fall into any of the above categories, see the Federal Trade Commission's Spam E-mail web site.
To file a complaint about a violation of the National Do Not Call Registry or to register your telephone number on the Registry, please go to www.donotcall.gov.
Updated April 20, 2015
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