Report a scam website as soon as you realize it's a scam. There isn't one universal 30-, 60-, or 90-day deadline for sending the URL to the FTC, IC3, Google, a host, or a domain registrar.

The tighter deadline often belongs to the payment method. For a qualifying credit-card billing error, written notice must reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first bill containing the error was sent. A report to the FTC or FBI doesn't take the place of that dispute. If you paid by debit card, bank transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency, or a payment app, contact the provider immediately and ask whether the transaction can be stopped, recalled, frozen, or reviewed.

Deadlines that matter

Destination or payment method Timing What it controls
FTC As soon as possible. The cited FTC instructions don't state a general cutoff for reporting a scam website. A consumer fraud complaint
IC3 As soon as possible. The cited complaint material doesn't state a general 60-day cutoff. FBI cybercrime reporting and referral
Google Search Immediately if the site appeared in Search or an ad Platform review of a phishing result or advertisement
Credit card Within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent, if it qualifies as a billing error Federal billing-dispute protection
Debit card or bank account Immediately The bank's fraud and error-resolution process
Gift card Immediately The issuer's scam and balance-recovery process
Cryptocurrency Immediately Any review or account protection available from the exchange or service
ACH, wire, or payment app Immediately; ask about a stop or recall Provider-specific recovery options

The 60-day rule is a credit-card dispute rule. It isn't an FTC reporting deadline, and it may not fit every payment a consumer calls a scam. Give the issuer the facts and let it determine which dispute or fraud process applies.

Reports and refunds are separate jobs

A website report can help authorities identify patterns, and it may prompt a platform to review or remove a dangerous page. It usually won't reverse a payment by itself.

Your bank, card issuer, or payment provider may need different information from the details you send to an agency:

Don't wait for an FTC or IC3 confirmation number before calling the company that moved the money. The FTC's guidance for people who paid a scammer recommends contacting the relevant payment company immediately.

First moves

Start with the payment provider. Call the number on the back of your card, on a bank statement, or in the provider's official app. Don't use a phone number or link supplied by the scam website. Explain whether you entered payment details, authorized a payment after being deceived, or discovered an unauthorized transaction. Say which payment method was involved and ask about a fraud report, billing dispute, chargeback, stop-payment, or transfer recall.

Save evidence before the page changes. Keep the full URL and any redirecting links, screenshots of the page and checkout, terms, contact details, emails, texts, social media messages, chat transcripts, receipts, invoices, order numbers, transaction IDs, wire references, gift-card details, and wallet addresses. Note when you visited the site and when money moved. Don't send passwords, one-time codes, or full card numbers in ordinary email; use the secure channel supplied by the official agency or provider.

Secure accounts and devices if you reused a password or downloaded anything. Change the password anywhere else you used it, turn on multifactor authentication where available, and watch bank, card, email, and shopping accounts for unfamiliar activity. If you installed software from the site, keep the device away from sensitive accounts until you check it.

File the website reports once payment and account steps are underway, or at the same time if you can:

Keep each confirmation number. A takedown and a payment recovery are separate outcomes.

U.S. reports and what they do

FTC scam report

The FTC accepts reports about scams, fraud, and bad business practices through ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Its instructions show that you can describe the scam, payment, and contact method, then receive a report number and next-step information.

The cited guidance doesn't set a general 60-day deadline for reporting a scam website. Prompt reporting still helps because the information is current and may connect to other complaints. An FTC report is not a request to reverse a card charge.

IC3 and the FBI

IC3 focuses on cyber-enabled crime, including fraudulent websites. Include the exact URL, payment details, messages, usernames, and any technical information you have.

IC3 receives a large volume of complaints and cannot respond directly to every submission. That doesn't make a late report useless; it may still add to a broader investigation. Don't wait for a personal response before contacting your bank.

For an ongoing crime, threat, or other situation needing immediate law-enforcement attention, follow the FBI's cyber reporting guidance and contact the appropriate local or federal authority.

Google and website platforms

Google's help page gives a route for reporting phishing sites that appear in Search, including phishing pages shown as advertisements. It also cautions that it can't always respond to feedback, so don't treat a Google submission as case management.

Report the page to the platform where you saw it too. If you can identify the hosting company or registrar, use its official abuse process. There's no need to wait for a supposed 7-, 30-, or 90-day window; these are platform-review processes, not one legal reporting rule.

Payment deadlines that can affect recovery

Credit card

For a qualifying billing error, the FTC's dispute guidance says your written dispute must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first bill containing the error was sent.

To protect your position:

  1. Contact the issuer immediately by phone.
  2. Follow its written-dispute instructions.
  3. Describe the transaction accurately, including whether goods or services never arrived, were misrepresented, or were unauthorized.
  4. Include copies of supporting records.
  5. Keep a copy and proof the issuer received the dispute.

A payment you personally authorized after being deceived may be handled differently from an unauthorized charge. The issuer decides whether the facts fit a particular billing-error or fraud process, so explain what happened rather than relying only on the word "scam."

If more than 60 days have passed, contact the issuer anyway. The federal written-dispute deadline may affect one protection, but the issuer may have other procedures or questions about the transaction.

Debit cards and bank accounts

The FTC advises consumers to report an unauthorized debit-card transaction, or a payment they were tricked into making with a debit card, to their bank or credit union immediately.

Don't automatically apply the credit-card 60-day rule to a debit card. Notice requirements and available protections can depend on the transaction, the account, and when you notify the institution. Ask what information the bank needs and request a case number.

Gift cards, cryptocurrency, and other hard-to-reverse payments

If you paid with a gift card, contact the card issuer immediately and keep the card, receipt, and messages from the scammer. If you paid with cryptocurrency, contact the exchange or service you used immediately and provide the transaction ID and wallet information.

The FTC warns that money paid to a scammer may already be gone, especially when the payment was difficult to reverse. Quick contact still matters because the provider may have a review or account-protection process.

Outside the United States

There is no worldwide reporting deadline for scam websites. The U.S. credit-card rule also shouldn't be applied automatically to a card issued in another country.

Broad claims that every UK Action Fraud report has a 30-day deadline, or that every EU cybercrime report must be filed within six months, are too broad to use safely. Rules can differ by country, offense, payment method, and whether the issue involves a criminal report, a bank dispute, or a civil claim.

If you're in the UK, an EU member state, Canada, or another country:

  1. Notify your bank, card issuer, payment app, gift card company, or crypto exchange immediately.
  2. Use your national police or official cybercrime reporting portal.
  3. Check the provider's fraud-dispute instructions for the payment method you used.
  4. Ask whether a formal police report or written statement is required.
  5. Save every reference number and submission receipt.

The website's domain country doesn't tell you the deadline by itself. Use current instructions from the authority and financial institution serving your transaction.

Reporting late is still useful

File even if the site has disappeared, the domain no longer resolves, or several weeks or months have passed. Explain the timeline clearly: when you first saw the site, when you paid or submitted information, when you realized it was fraudulent, why you didn't report sooner, and what you have already told the bank or provider.

Include archived screenshots, emails, receipts, and transaction records. Then ask the payment provider whether any late fraud review, recall, or dispute route remains available.

Common questions

Do I have 60 days to report a scam website to the FTC?

No. The 60-day period in the FTC material applies to written disputes for qualifying credit-card billing errors. It isn't presented as a general deadline for filing an FTC scam report.

Can I report a scam website after it has been taken down?

Yes. Submit the URL, screenshots, payment records, and messages anyway. A report can provide information about the operation even when the page is no longer active.

Will reporting the website to Google get my money back?

No. Google reporting may help with a phishing result or advertisement, but it isn't a bank dispute or refund process. Contact the payment provider separately.

What if I paid with cryptocurrency or a gift card?

Contact the exchange or gift card issuer immediately, preserve transaction evidence, and follow its fraud process. Recovery isn't guaranteed, but delay reduces the provider's opportunity to review the transaction.

Is there a fixed deadline for reporting a scam in another country?

Not one worldwide deadline. Check the current official rules in the country where you live and the payment provider's dispute procedure. Report the website and payment immediately rather than waiting to resolve which deadline applies.

Official sources

If money moved recently, call the card issuer, bank, gift-card company, crypto exchange, or payment app before you spend time archiving the site. Get a case or reference number during that call, then submit the website report while the facts are fresh.