Reporting
How to report a spam call
The short answer
Report unwanted calls to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov — it takes about two minutes and the FTC passes reported numbers to carriers and blocking services every business day. That is how the "Scam Likely" flags on your phone get built. Reporting will not stop your own calls today; it is what makes the filters work for everyone tomorrow.
Checked on Reviewed October 2026 · Updated October 18, 2026
- Time
- 2 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Where
- reportfraud.ftc.gov
- Effect on you
- Indirect
Report to the FTC
The main route, and the one that feeds the blocking lists your phone already uses.
Go to reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Give the number that called, the date, and what the caller claimed. If money was lost, say so — that routes it differently.
Submit. No account is needed and you can stay anonymous.
From the makers of this guide
Want the calls screened, not just silenced?
PhoneShield answers your calls first. Known scam numbers are refused before your phone rings, the people you know ring straight through, and everyone else is asked who they are and why they’re calling, so your doctor and the delivery driver still reach you.
Report to the FCC as well, for spoofing
If the caller faked their number — a neighbour’s number, your own, or a well-known organisation — the FCC handles that specifically.
File at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov under phone, and describe the number shown and who the caller claimed to be.
Report to your carrier and your phone
Faster and more local in effect.
Forward spam texts to 7726 (SPAM) free of charge — every major U.S. carrier accepts it.
Use the report option in your carrier’s app (Call Filter, ActiveArmor, Scam Shield) so the number is flagged on their network.
Beyond this setting
What else helps
Reporting helps everyone later. Screening helps you now.
Reporting is worth two minutes — it is genuinely how the carrier flags you rely on get built. But be clear about the timing: it protects other people in the future, not you this afternoon. If the calls are a daily problem right now, you need something making decisions at the moment the phone rings. PhoneShield refuses numbers already reported as scams before your phone rings at all, and asks everyone else what they want so real callers still reach you.
Stop them at the door instead →If they already got money or details from you
Then reporting is not the first thing to do — your bank is. On a debit card the federal $50 ceiling lapses two business days after you find out, and if you gave out a Social Security number a credit freeze matters more than any report. The order to work through, and what the law actually guarantees for each way of paying.
What to do, in order →Check a number before reporting
See whether others have already reported it, and what they said the caller claimed.
Check a number →Do Not Call Registry
A different tool with a different job: it binds legitimate telemarketers, not scammers.
Register your number →Got a specific number?
Check who’s been reporting it
See how often people reported a number to the FTC, what the calls were about, and what to do, at isthisnumberascam.com.
Questions
What people ask
Where do I report spam calls?
The FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov is the main route. Add an FCC complaint at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov if the caller faked their number, and report through your carrier’s app so the number is flagged on their network.
Does reporting spam calls do anything?
Yes, but indirectly. The FTC publishes reported numbers to carriers and blocking services every business day, which is how "Scam Likely" labels are generated. It will not stop the calls you get today.
Can I report a spam text?
Forward it to 7726 (SPAM). It is free on every major U.S. carrier and flags the sender on their network.
Do I need to give my name?
No. FTC reports can be filed without identifying yourself. If you lost money, including contact details helps investigators follow it up.
How long before reporting makes a difference?
Days at best, and only once several people report the same number. It is a contribution to a shared defence rather than a fix for your own phone.
Sources
Checked against
Every step is checked against the official instructions. Menus change with updates; tell us if one has moved.