Law Enforcement

Law enforcement agencies work on multiple fronts to protect people against scams. As the nation’s consumer protection agency, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has free materials to help you investigate fraud and teach others how to spot, avoid, and report fraud, scams, and bad business practices.

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Free Investigative Tools

Use these free tools to access reports, investigate fraud, and track scam trends in your area.

Consumer Sentinel Network

This free law enforcement-only database helps you use millions of consumer reports to investigate fraud-based crimes in your jurisdiction, and helps you connect with law enforcers nationwide. With automatic language translations for most complaints in other languages, you can better understand what’s happening in your community.

FTC’s Criminal Liaison Unit (CLU)

CLU enhances coordination between criminal law enforcement agencies and the FTC to help prosecutors bring more criminal consumer fraud cases. Contact CLU to learn more about using the FTC as a resource to prosecute consumer fraud.

Explore Data

This interactive dashboard compiles the FTC’s consumer reports on fraud, identity theft, and other consumer problems. Spot trends and top reports near you and download visualizations for presentations and reports.

Consumer Protection

Share free resources to help the many communities you serve spot, avoid, and report scams.

For Everyone

• Get plain-language advice on consumer protection topics: consumer.ftc.gov and consumidor.ftc.gov.
• Share materials in your community: order copies of How To Avoid a Scam for your station house. Display How to Stop Unwanted Calls flyers in your waiting area. Partner with local businesses to show people how to spot and avoid gift card scams. Show people what to do if they paid a scammer and how to report it to the FTC.
• Use IdentityTheft.gov to help people report the crime, get a personal recovery plan, and put that plan into action.

Older Adults

Pass It On encourages older adults to talk with friends and family about frauds like charity, impersonator, and grandkid scams. Plan presentations or start discussions using resources like handouts, slides and talking points, and activity sheets.

Kids and Parents

To help parents and kids safely navigate life online:

• Check out articles at ftc.gov/kidsonline.
• Download slides, lesson plans, and activity sheets from Youville and lead a series of group activities to teach 8-12 year olds about privacy and online safety, digital citizenship, understanding advertising, and spotting scams.
• Ask school resource officers to pass out print materials like Heads Up: Stop. Think. Connect. at school assemblies or put them on resource tables at family-focused community events.

Small Businesses

Small businesses need help avoiding scams, protecting their assets, and keeping customers safe. Help owners in your community get advice on topics like cybersecurity for small business and find the resources they need:

• Scams and Your Small Business
• Start with Security: A Guide for Business
• Data Breach Response: A Guide for Business

Multilingual Communities

Share advice about scams in the languages your community feels most comfortable speaking.

• Find consumer education and business information in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, and more at ftc.gov/languages.
• Order fotonovelas to show Spanish speakers practical steps to spot and avoid common scams. Find these graphic novels online in English, too!

Immigrant Communities

Share print materials to help recent refugees and immigrants spot, avoid, and report scams and get the right kind of help — start at ftc.gov/refugee and ftc.gov/immigration. Post the Scams Against Immigrants video on your social media pages. Bring copies of the Fraud Handbook in multiple languages to share at community events. Order copies of the Notario Scams Fotonovela to share warning signs, where to find real help with the immigration process, and how to report scams.

Weather Emergencies

If a disaster affects your community, ftc.gov/WeatherEmergencies can help your community prepare and recover — while avoiding scams.

Blocking Unwanted Calls

Help people deal with robocalls and block unwanted calls at ftc.gov/calls.

Spread the Word

Use these free tools to share consumer protection topics.

Giving a Presentation?

• Go to consumer.gov for talking points and videos to discuss scams, identity theft, and other topics that can affect your financial well-being. Pass out one-pagers like Is It a Scam? and If You Were Scammed to help your residents share what they’ve learned.
• Add FTC short videos to presentations, post them on social media, or play them in your station to help people know how scams happen and what to do about it.
• Order free publications from the FTC on topics like scams, privacy, credit, and more. Download and print a few copies or order in bulk. Shipping is free.

Posting on Social Media?

• Sign up to get consumer alerts and share them on your socials.
• Follow the Federal Trade Commission on

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