09 Aug Where and how can I report scam emails?

Q. Where can I report scam emails?
— Not falling for it

A. Great question.

It seems phishing emails – where a con artist pretends to be a legitimate company or government agency – end up in our email box every day.

You have several options to report the emails.

The first is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It collects spam email and tries to find a pattern that would help it take action.

Forward the email to .

If you try to unsubscribe from an email list and your request is not honored, you can also file a complaint with the FTC.

Next, file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). You can’t forward the email to IC3, but you can file a complaint and include the email.

If the email claims to come from a government agency, you can report it directly to that agency.

For the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), forward the email to . For Social Security, you can file a complaint here.

For other government agencies, check this link to see how to file a complaint.

If the email says it’s from a company, don’t respond, but instead go to the corporation’s website. Most companies will have an email address to which it asks you to forward the email.

Learn more about how law enforcement agencies handle your complaints here.

Email your questions to .

This story was originally published on Aug. 9, 2019.

NJMoneyHelp.com presents certain general financial planning principles and advice, but should never be viewed as a substitute for obtaining advice from a personal professional advisor who understands your unique individual circumstances.