Scams, fraud, cyberstalking — thousands of cybercrime cases are reported every day.
If you've become a victim, don't hesitate to contact your local police department or follow one of the links to a national cybercrime agency. Reporting is an important step to protect yourself and others.
When reporting a cybercrime, the key is to stay calm. Regardless of the type of cybercrime that was committed, avoid making rash decisions and record everything thoroughly.
Start with collecting information about the incident, such as screenshots, texts, pictures, and logs. If account access was compromised, make sure to also change passwords and enable multi-factor authentication. Once you've done that, file a report.
You can also report a crime on behalf of a friend or family member. In addition to collecting texts, payments, and screenshots, make sure you get the person's consent to use their information.
If your business has been affected by cybercrime, it's crucial to act quickly. Start by gathering evidence such as emails, transaction logs, and system reports. Depending on the severity, you may need to isolate your devices and file a report with local authorities or your national cybercrime agency.
Cybercrimes, like all crimes, should be reported to the police or the institution responsible for cybercrime in your country by phone, email, or an online form. You can use the links below to access cybercrime units in major population centers around the world. If the country you're looking for is not on the list, on any internet browser search for "Cybercrime + your country" in your native language.
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Some countries' law enforcement pages may not be accessible from your region.
Cybercrimes can be embarrassing or dangerous to reveal in public. Check the website of your country's police force to see if you can submit an anonymous report online or by phone.
Search online to see whether your country has a dedicated agency to deal with cybercrimes. For example, you can report cybercrime to the Internet Complaint Center in the US or Action Fraud in the UK.
If you can't find a dedicated agency that deals with cybercrime, the easiest and most straightforward way to report a crime is to go to your local police station. You'll be able to make a statement there or find out the best place to do that.
Organizations like INTERPOL and Europol do not investigate cybercrimes. However, they can provide useful information and direct you to the agency responsible for cybercrime in your area.
Cybercrime is any crime involving the use of information technologies (IT). This broad category covers both digital-only crimes (like hacking servers to steal data) and traditional crimes with an IT element (like stalking someone over social media or counterfeiting money).
Cybercrime also ranges in severity from simply sending phishing emails to much more heinous acts such as child exploitation.
Cybercrime should be reported to your local law enforcement agency, a national agency, or even, in some cases, an appropriate international organization.
Cybercrime includes all types of malicious activity online:
Fraudulent emails, texts, or websites designed to steal personal information or money.
Malicious software that encrypts files and demands payment for their release.
Stealing personal information to impersonate someone for financial gain.
Using digital platforms to harass, threaten, or intimidate individuals.
Overwhelming websites or services with traffic to make them unavailable.
Unauthorized access to confidential data from organizations or individuals.
At the end of the day, protecting yourself against cybercrime relies on understanding that the internet is not always a safe place. Here are some simple ways you can be safer online:
Using end-to-end encrypted apps, such as Signal, encrypt your communication and ensure that everything you say to your friends and family doesn't end up on a shady dark web database.
Account security is one of the key ways to protect your private information. Use strong and unique passwords, or better yet, use a password manager that'll do the heavy lifting for you.
Multi-factor authentication helps protect your account even if a hacker has gotten hold of your password.
Every app has vulnerabilities that its developers try to find and patch as soon as they can. Updating applications and your operating system whenever you're notified to do so ensures optimal security of your devices.
Most financial institutions can send you an alert if they notice a transaction or detect an unusual login. Check with your bank how you can safeguard your account better.
You're likely to encounter 10 online trolls and bots for every nice person you interact with digitally. If you don't like an interaction with someone, block the user or close the app rather than engage further.
Most of the time, you can do something to protect against cybercrime like double-checking the URLs you get sent via email. But cybersecurity products like virtual private networks (VPNs) can help you explore the internet with more privacy and security.
VPN Master Pro changes your virtual location and encrypts your online traffic, making targeting your device and intercepting sensitive information much harder.
However, VPN Master Pro is more than just a VPN — it's a comprehensive suite of cybersecurity tools. Our web security blocks dangerous and phishing sites, blocks dangerous links, and stops ads. Dark Web Monitor warns you in advance if criminals get their hands on your credentials.
Cybercrime is typically investigated by specialized law enforcement units, including local police cybercrime divisions, national agencies like the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in the US, and international organizations like INTERPOL and Europol for cross-border cases.
When reporting cybercrime, gather all relevant evidence including screenshots, emails, transaction records, system logs, URLs of suspicious websites, and any communication from the perpetrator. Also document the timeline of events and any financial losses incurred.
Yes, you can and should report hackers to the police. Hacking is a serious crime, whether it involves unauthorized access to your accounts, data theft, or system damage. Contact your local police or cybercrime unit with all available evidence.
Report online scammers to your local police, national fraud reporting centers (like Action Fraud in the UK or IC3 in the US), and relevant platforms where the scam occurred. Save all communications, transaction details, and take screenshots as evidence.
CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) accepts reports through their website at cisa.gov. They focus on critical infrastructure incidents and provide guidance for reporting significant cyber incidents that may affect national security or critical services.