How to report a website
4 min read
If you’ve encountered a malicious or problematic website, you may want to report it. After all, reporting websites helps to take down scammers and cybercriminals and protects other internet users from falling victim to various crimes. In this article, we’ll explain the most common reasons for reporting a website and the easiest ways to do it.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Identify the issue on the website before reporting it
Before reporting a problematic or malicious website, it’s crucial to clearly identify the issue. This step ensures you can report the website accurately and provide any necessary details.
Common reasons for reporting a website include:
- Scams and fraud. Cybercriminals create fake websites to trick people into giving away personal or financial information. If you don’t know how to tell if a website is a scam, you can always look out for the most common red flags, such as poor design, suspicious links, grammar errors, and offers that seem too good to be true.
- Phishing attempts. Cybercriminals often create phishing websites. It might not always be easy to tell if a website is malicious, so use a tool to check if a link is safe. Staying vigilant and reporting phishing may make the internet safer for yourself and others.
- Illegal content. Cybercriminals may create websites to facilitate illegal activities, such as distributing child pornography, illegal drug sales, or human trafficking.
- Copyright infringement. Some websites host or distribute movies, books, or software without permission. By reporting such violations, you may help to protect intellectual property rights and help creators receive compensation and proper recognition for their work.
- Sale of illegal items. Selling counterfeit goods is illegal in most countries, so don’t forget to report if you’ve noticed online auction fraud or similar schemes.
- Distribution of malware or viruses. Cybercriminals create fake websites to spread malware or viruses to unsuspecting victims. If you notice a website distributing such malicious software, don’t hesitate to report it.
- Hate speech or incitement of violence. Reporting hate speech is a complex topic in many countries, especially in the United States, where you’ll need to consider the strong protections for free speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. However, free speech is not protected if it directly incites violence, communicates a serious intent to cause harm, or severely targets specific individuals (for example, doxxing someone’s location and suggesting harm).
Gather evidence to support your report
If you’ve decided to report a website, gather as much information as possible. Such information may include:
- URLs and screenshots. Take screenshots where you can clearly see the website’s URL and the offensive or malicious content. Ensure that you can see the date and the time in these screenshots.
- Detailed descriptions. Explain what’s problematic about this website. Mention any harmful consequences resulting from this website or its content.
- User information. If possible, note any relevant information about the website owner.
- Logs. Collect any relevant communication or logs that support your report, such as emails or messages.
Report a website to its hosting provider
If you’d like to report a website to its hosting provider, follow these steps:
- Identify the hosting provider.
- Gather evidence and visit the hosting provider’s website.
- Find the hosting provider’s reporting section and fill out the form.
- Submit the report.
Report a website to its domain registrar
If you’d like to report a website to its domain registrar, follow these steps:
- Identify the domain registrar. You can use a lookup tool to determine the malicious website’s registrar.
- Gather evidence and visit the registrar’s website.
- Find the registrar’s reporting section and fill out the form.
- Submit the report.
Report a website to Google
If you’d like to report a website to the Google Safe Browsing team, follow these steps:
- Go to Google’s Safe Browsing page.
- Enter the website’s URL and complete the CAPTCHA.
- If you’d like to, you can submit additional information about the malicious website.
- Click “Submit report.”
If a website is distributing your personal or financial information, images of your signature, or you just want to blur the images of your home on Google Maps, you can also follow our guide on how to remove personal information from Google.
Report a website to Microsoft
If you’d like to report a website to Microsoft, follow these steps:
- Go to the Microsoft Security Intelligence page.
- Enter the website’s URL into the “Which site do you want to report?” field.
- Under the “What threats did you find on the site?” field, choose “Phishing” or “Malware or other threats” to specify the issue.
- Select the website’s main language.
- Complete the CAPTCHA and submit your report.
Report a website to law enforcement or governmental bodies
Contact your country’s law enforcement or governmental institutions and report websites with malicious or problematic content. For example, in the United States, you can report a website to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
If you’d like to report a website to the FTC, follow these steps:
- Go to reportfraud.ftc.gov.
- Click “Report now.”
- Select one of the options to explain the issue. If nothing fits, choose “Something else” and describe the situation.
- Submit your report.
If you’d like to report a website to the IC3:
- Go to ic3.gov.
- Click “File a complaint.”
- Choose the option that describes the issue you’re having with this website.
- Provide information about the victims, mention any financial transactions related to this complaint, and describe the incident.
- Add your digital signature and click “Submit complaint.”