How to report a scam in the European Union
- There is no single EU hotline. You report to your own country's national police or cybercrime unit.
- Find your route via Europol - its report page links to every member state's official service.
- Cross-border case? Use econsumer.gov and your national European Consumer Centre. And tell your bank straight away.
Where to report
Can you get your money back?
It depends on the country and how you paid, but EU-wide payment rules give you a starting point - and speed is decisive.
Unauthorised transactions (payments you did not make) can generally be refunded by your bank under EU payment-services rules. Card payments can often be disputed through chargeback. Authorised transfers you were tricked into making are harder to recover, and protections vary by member state - so report to your bank without delay. Cryptocurrency is rarely recoverable. The full breakdown by payment method is in what to do if you've been scammed.
What happens after you report
Because reporting happens at national level, what follows depends on your country's police and consumer system. Generally, your report adds to national intelligence rather than triggering an individual investigation, and you may receive a reference number. econsumer.gov and ECC-Net focus on consumer disputes and cross-border coordination rather than criminal investigation. Keep your evidence and any reference numbers for your bank claim.
The scale across the EU
There is no single EU-wide scam-loss total, because each member state reports separately. But Europol consistently identifies online fraud schemes as one of the most threatening and fastest-evolving criminal markets affecting the EU, driven by the same cross-border networks behind investment and impersonation scams worldwide.1
Wherever you are in the EU, be alert to a follow-up "recovery" approach after a loss - that is the money recovery scam. No legitimate body charges an upfront fee to get your money back.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there an EU-wide place to report a scam?
- No. There is no single EU fraud hotline. You report to your own country's national police or cybercrime unit. Europol's report-a-crime page links to the official reporting service for every member state, which is the easiest way to find yours.
- What if the scammer was in another EU country?
- Report it in your own country first, then use econsumer.gov for cross-border complaints, and contact your national European Consumer Centre (ECC-Net), which helps with disputes involving traders in another EU country. For a cross-border crypto loss, the FBI's IC3 also accepts reports from outside the US.
- Can I get my money back after a scam in the EU?
- Possibly, if you act fast. Contact your bank immediately - under EU payment rules, unauthorised transactions can be refunded, and card payments can often be disputed through chargeback. Authorised transfers you were tricked into making are harder, and rules vary by country, so report to your bank without delay.
- Europol, Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA). Europol's assessment of online fraud as a leading and fast-evolving criminal threat in the EU. Cited as a qualitative characterisation; there is no single EU-wide loss total.
We compile official reporting routes from government agencies and law enforcement. This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Read about how we research or who we are.