How to Report Cybercrime in North Carolina (and Get Your Money Back)

Quick answer: Report it in three places at once. File federally with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. In North Carolina, file a consumer complaint with the state Department of Justice / Attorney General's Office at ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint or call 1-877-5-NO-SCAM (1-877-566-7226), and report the crime to your local police or sheriff's office (which can request North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation support on larger or computer-crime cases). Before any of that, call your bank or card issuer right now and tell them the transaction was fraud, because the speed of that call often decides how much you get back.

What to do in 3 steps

1. Call your bank or card issuer immediately and freeze the money trail. Phone the number on the back of your card or in your banking app, say clearly that the charge or transfer was fraudulent and that you did not authorize it, and ask them to stop or recall the payment, block the card, and open a fraud dispute. If a wire or bank transfer just left your account, ask specifically for a SWIFT recall or a hold on the receiving account. Write down the date, time, the representative's name, and a case number.
2. File your federal reports. Submit a complaint to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov with every detail you have: account numbers the money went to, wallet addresses, emails, phone numbers, and screenshots. IC3 is how cases get routed to the FBI and how its Recovery Asset Team can try to freeze funds. Then report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. If your Social Security number, identity, or accounts were misused, also go to identitytheft.gov for a personalized recovery plan.
3. File your North Carolina reports. Lodge a consumer complaint with the North Carolina Department of Justice / Attorney General's Office at ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint or by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM (1-877-566-7226). Then file a report with your local police department or county sheriff's office and get a copy or report number, which your bank and the credit bureaus will ask for. Local agencies handle the underlying crime and can bring in the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, whose Computer Crimes and Financial Crimes units assist on larger or technical cases.

How recovery actually works

Getting money back is a race against the cash-out, not a single agency writing you a check. When you report fast, two things can happen: your bank can dispute or reverse an unauthorized charge under Regulation E or the FCBA, and the FBI's Recovery Asset Team, working from your IC3 report, can ask the receiving bank to freeze funds before they are withdrawn. Both depend on hours, not days. For unauthorized debit or transfer fraud, your maximum liability is $50 if you notify the bank within two business days of learning about it, rising to as much as $500 if you wait longer, and potentially unlimited losses if you wait more than 60 days after your statement. For credit cards, the FCBA caps liability at $50. Where you were persuaded to send money yourself, there is no legal guarantee, but a recall request placed within hours, plus pressure from your IC3 and NC DOJ filings, gives you the best realistic chance.

What to have ready

• The exact dates, times, and dollar amounts of every fraudulent transaction.
• Account, routing, or card numbers involved, and any destination account, wallet address, or recipient name the money was sent to.
• All communications from the scammer: emails, texts, phone numbers, social media handles, websites, and screenshots.
• The name of your bank or platform, plus any case or claim number you were given.
• A copy of your local police or sheriff report and its report number.
• Your IC3 complaint number once you submit, so you can reference it in follow-ups.

Frequently asked questions

Do I report to the local police or to the State Bureau of Investigation? Start with your local police department or county sheriff's office, which takes the report for an individual victim. The North Carolina SBI does not generally take complaints directly from the public for routine fraud; it has original jurisdiction over crimes involving state money or property and supports local agencies, through its Computer Crimes and Financial Crimes units, on larger or technical cases. Filing locally is what triggers that help.

What does the North Carolina Department of Justice complaint actually do for me? The Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division logs your complaint, can mediate with the business involved, and uses patterns of complaints to investigate and take legal action against scammers and unfair practices. It is not a substitute for your bank dispute or police report, but it adds an official state record and can pursue the wrongdoer. File at ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint or call 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.

I sent the money myself after being tricked. Is it hopeless? No, but move immediately. Authorized push payments lack the automatic protections of unauthorized fraud, so recovery hinges on speed: a same-day recall request to your bank and a fast IC3 report give the receiving bank a chance to freeze the funds before they are cashed out. Report it to ic3.gov, the FTC, and the NC DOJ regardless, because that record supports recall efforts and helps stop the scammer from hitting others.

Sources

• FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
• FBI IC3 2023 Internet Crime Report (state figures for North Carolina)
• FTC ReportFraud
• FTC IdentityTheft.gov
• North Carolina Department of Justice / Attorney General: File a Complaint (1-877-5-NO-SCAM)
• North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation: Computer Crimes Unit

For step-by-step reporting and recovery guides covering other countries, see our cybercrime help hub.