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Reporting cybercrime
Scams, fraud, cyberstalking — thousands of cybercrime cases are reported every day. If you’ve become a victim, don’t hesitate to contact your local police department or follow one of the links to a national cybercrime agency. Reporting is an important step to protect yourself and others.
How to report cybercrime
When reporting a cybercrime, the key is to stay calm. Regardless of the type of cybercrime that was committed, avoid making rash decisions and record everything thoroughly. Here’s how you can report crime personally, on behalf of someone else, or as a business:
#01
To report cybercrime personally:
Start with collecting information about the incident, such as screenshots, texts, pictures, and logs. If account access was compromised, make sure to also change passwords and enable multi-factor authentication. Once you’ve done that, file a report.
#02
To report cybercrime for someone else:
You can also report a crime on behalf of a friend or family member. In addition to collecting texts, payments, and screenshots, make sure you get the person’s consent to use their information.
#03
To report cybercrime as a business:
If your business has been affected by cybercrime, it's crucial to act quickly. Start by gathering evidence such as emails, transaction logs, and system reports. Depending on the severity of the cybercrime committed, you may need to isolate your devices and file a report with the local authorities, your national cybercrime agency, or the appropriate data protection regulator, depending on laws like GDPR or CCPA.
Where to report cybercrime
Cybercrimes, like all crimes, should be reported to the police or the institution responsible for cybercrime in your country by phone, email, or an online form. You can use the links below to access cybercrime units in major population centers around the world. If the country you’re looking for is not on the list, on any internet browser search for “Cybercrime + your country” in your native language.
| North America | South America |
|---|---|
| Europe | |
| Asia, Australia, and Oceania | Africa |
Other ways to report a cybercrime
What is considered a cybercrime?
Cybercrime is any crime involving the use of information technologies (IT). This broad category covers both digital-only crimes (like hacking servers to steal data) and traditional crimes with an IT element (like stalking someone over social media or counterfeiting money). Cybercrime also ranges in severity from simply sending phishing emails to much more heinous acts such as child exploitation.
Cybercrime should be reported to your local law enforcement agency, a national agency, or even, in some cases, an appropriate international organization.
What are the most common types of cybercrime?
Cybercrime includes all types of malicious activity online:
Common ways of protecting against cybercrime
At the end of the day, protecting yourself against cybercrime relies on understanding that the internet is not always a safe place. Here are some simple ways you can be safer online:
Encrypted communication
Using end-to-end encrypted apps, such as Signal, encrypt your communication and ensure that everything you say to your friends and family doesn’t end up on a shady dark web database.
Strong, unique passwords
This cannot be said enough — account security is one of the key ways to protect your private information. Use strong and unique passwords, or better yet, use a password manager that’ll do the heavy lifting for you.
Multi-factor authentication
Again, account security. Multi-factor authentication helps protect your account even if a hacker has gotten hold of your password.
Closing the app
You’re likely to encounter 10 online trolls and bots for every nice person you interact with digitally. If you don’t like an interaction with someone, block the user or close the app rather than engage further.
Software updates
Every app has vulnerabilities that its developers try to find and patch as soon as they can. Updating applications and your operating system whenever you’re notified to do so ensures optimal security of your devices.
Financial alerts
Most financial institutions can send you an alert if they notice a transaction or detect an unusual login. Check with your bank how you can safeguard your account better.
How can NordVPN protect me from cybercrime?
Most of the time, you can do something to protect against cybercrime like double-checking the URLs you get sent via email. But cybersecurity products like virtual private networks (VPNs) can help you explore the internet with more privacy and security. NordVPN changes your virtual location and encrypts your online traffic, making targeting your device and intercepting sensitive information much harder.
However, NordVPN is more than just a VPN — it’s a comprehensive suite of cybersecurity tools. Threat Protection Pro™ scans files you download for malware, blocks dangerous links, and stops ads. Dark Web Monitor warns you in advance if criminals get their hands on your credentials. And NordVPN’s specialty servers help you tailor your online security to your needs.
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