Again, courtesy of Stop.Think.Connect.org, here are some valuable resources if you think your computer or personal information has been compromised. The following is a list of agencies equipped to help fight cyber-crime. You can file a complaint about Internet-related frauds, scams, and suspicious activity with the following organizations.
• The Federal Trade Commission – The Federal Trade Commission is the nation’s consumer protection agency and collects complaints about fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices.
• spam@uce.gov – If you receive an email that you think may be a scam, forward it to the FTC and it will be stored in a database that law enforcement agencies use to generate legal cases.
• Your State Attorney General – In addition to the FTC, you can also file a complaint with your state Attorney General’s office if you think you may be a victim of fraud. Your state Attorney General’s office handles a wide range of complaints related to consumer protection.
• The Internet Crime Complaint Center – The IC3 is a partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, whose mission is to serve as a vehicle to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints related to cyber crime.
• reportphishing@antiphishing.org – In addition to forwarding spam to spam@uce.gov, you can also forward spam to reportphishing@antiphishing.org. The Anti-Phishing Working Group is a consortium of ISPs, security vendors, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies that use this email to fight phishing.
• www.bbb.org – The Better Business Bureau accepts complaints from consumers against businesses or services, and is dedicated to fostering an ethical business environment.
• National Crime Prevention Council – The mission of the NCPC is to be the nation’s leader in helping people keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe from crime. To achieve this, the NCPC produces tools that communities can use to learn crime prevention strategies – including a podcast series for children and adults on the facts of cyber bullying, how to prevent it and manage it.
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – This nonprofit organization has a Congressionally-mandated CyberTipline as a means for reporting crimes against children. Reports may be made 24-hours a day, 7 days a week online at www.cybertipline.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678.
• Department of Justice – The DOJ’s Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section tells you where to go to report hacking, password trafficking, spam, child exploitation and other Internet harassment.
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