The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). Complaints may be filed to the IC3 via its complaint page.


The FBI hosts a web page, For the Family, which identifies scams to be aware of on the Internet, scams targeted at senior citizens, and even has a section for parents on Internet safety. Other topics include:

Internet Auction Fraud

Non-Delivery of Merchandise

Credit Card Fraud

Investment Fraud

Business Fraud

Nigerian Letter Scam


There are several sites on the Internet that document regular "Spam" e-mails and virus hoaxes. If you get an e-mail you are leery about, utilize a search engine such as Google and see if it's a documented scam or hoax. If you can't find anything, do not hesitate to forward it to the IFCC or to the contact for the FBI's web site. Most search engines will produce info that will help you out. One useful site is the Urban Legends Reference Page. Simply type a keyword in the search box at the top of the page to find information.