Reporting email fraud is not as simple as many people may think it should be. Most countries do not have a national clearinghouse or central collection point for email fraud cases. In many situations, reporting the fraud depends on what type of fraud is being perpetrated, what is being alleged and what, if any, identity is being used to make it legitimate. This identity may be personal or business related.
There are many types of fraudulent email scams going on. Some of the most popular email fraud schemes involve credit card fraud or bank fraud. In those cases, the person trying to perpetrate the crime will often send a very official-looking e-mail, which will actually take the person to a shadow site that looks like something he may be familiar with, in order to entice him to enter account information. When this type of credit fraud or bank fraud occurs, the best solution is to contact not only a law enforcement agency, but also the business whose name is being used.
Most businesses will be especially appreciative of customers who turn in email fraud examples to them. This will help them alert customers that they may also be receiving something and provide directions on how to handle that type of situation. However, doing this requires the ability to be able to recognize a scam and stop it before becoming victimized. Many people may only become aware of the scam after the fact.
Some types of email fraud, at least in the United States, are handled on the national level. This involves any email fraud involving international dealings, interstate commerce or exploiting children. In these cases, the U.S. Department of Justice has different departments that can accept that information. The Department of Justice Website can provide more information.
The main objective in an email fraud reporting situation, is to provide as much consumer protection and identity protection as possible. The easiest time to stop a scam is before it happens. Once the criminal already has the knowledge to do the damage, making it all better can be a very difficult challenge, even for professionals who handle these situations regularly.
In addition to the sites and agencies already listed, one final organization to report e-mail fraud to may be local news media outlets, especially if the scam is very unusual or of an extreme nature. While most news agencies will not have the time to be bothered by everyday scams, there are some so unusual that they garner a tremendous amount of public interest. Those are the types of cases the news media would be interested in sharing.
