The FBI is a United States federal investigative service tasked with "protecting and defending the United States against terrorist threats and foreign intelligence, and enforcing United States criminal law". To report a crime, you can contact the FBI online or by phone at any time. In addition, there are dedicated telephone lines for certain types of crime, as well as an FBI division that can be contacted for records and information, to apply for jobs, or to inquire about business opportunities.
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Method 1 of 4: Calling the FBI
Step 1. Know when to contact the FBI
As a federal investigative and intelligence agency, the FBI is authorized and responsible for responding to a variety of federal crimes, cybercrimes, and national security threats. Contact the FBI at any time for information on the following crimes:
- Possible acts of terrorism or activities related to terrorism
- People who sympathize with terrorists
- Suspicious activities that can pose a threat to national security, especially if they involve foreign parties
- Computer crimes, especially those related to national security
- Corrupt government activities at the local, state, or federal level, or in law enforcement
- Race related crimes and hate
- Human trafficking
- Civil rights crimes
- Organized crime activities
- Financial crimes involving fraud (corporate fraud, mortgage fraud, investment fraud, etc.)
- Fraud in healthcare
- People who have committed or are planning to commit crimes, including bank robberies, kidnapping, extortion, theft of works of art, theft of large-scale interstate shipments, and theft of monetary instruments
- Violent gang activity
Step 2. Use the online information form
Information submitted via the "FBI Tips and Public Leads" form will be reviewed as soon as possible by an FBI agent or professional staff member.
- You may not get an immediate reply to your submission due to the large number of submissions the FBI receives.
- Write down as much detail as possible when filling out the form.
Step 3. Contact the nearest FBI office
The FBI has 56 field offices in the US and Puerto Rico, as well as dozens of other offices in US embassies around the world. You can contact the nearest office with information on possible criminal activities. If you want to email the FBI, you'll need to contact the field office because the FBI doesn't have a central email address.
- Find the address, phone number and email address of the closest US field office to you here.
- Find the nearest international office phone number here.
Step 4. Call or write to FBI headquarters
While it is more efficient to submit an information form or contact your local office, you can also contact FBI headquarters for information or complaints about criminal activity. If you live in the United States, the phone number is 202-324-3000. The address of the FBI headquarters is:
- FBI Headquarters
- 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
- Washington, D. C. 20535-0001
Method 2 of 4: Reporting Certain Crimes or Suspicious Activities
Step 1. Call the Major Case Contact Center (MC3) and provide information about the ongoing case
If you don't know the number to call to report a crime, call MC3 at 1-800-225-5324 (1-800-CALLFBI). Also use this number to respond to requests for information issued by the FBI, both local and national.
Step 2. Report a missing child or child exploitation as soon as possible
The FBI Child Exploitation Task Force works closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to investigate missing or sexually exploited children. If your child is missing or a child you know is missing, or you suspect a child has been sexually exploited, contact the FBI immediately at any time.
- Call 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST).
- Use virtual information lines.
- Contact a Child Exploitation Task Force officer at your local FBI field office.
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Contact the State Department if your child has been abducted and taken out of or into the United States by another parent.
- Calls from the US and Canada: 1-888-407-4747.
- Overseas calls: 1-202-501-4444.
- If you need to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children but it's not urgent, you can call 703-224-2150 or use the online contact form.
Step 3. Provide information about possible human trafficking by telephone, online, or at your local field office
The illegal smuggling of people across borders and the captivity of people as virtual slaves forced into prostitution or forced labor are investigated by the FBI and the Human Smuggling Trafficking Center. If you become aware of human trafficking or have been a victim of it:
- Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888.
- Contact your local FBI field office.
- Submit information online.
Step 4. File a complaint at the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Internet crime primarily refers to hacking, internet and e-mail fraud, including up-front fee schemes, non-delivery of orders for goods or services, and business opportunity schemes. You can file a complaint as long as one of the parties (the victim or the fraudster) is in the United States. File your complaint on the IC3 website. You will be asked to enter:
- Name
- Mailing address
- Phone number
- The name, address and phone number of the person or business that scammed you
- Websites and email addresses of the person or business that scammed you
- Fraud details
Step 5. Report suspicious activity involving chemical, biological, or radiological materials by calling 855-835-5324 (855-TELL-FBI)
You may be the target of an attack or theft/purchase of raw materials if:
- You are asked by telephone about the use of security guards, hours of operation, or the total number of company employees.
- You have received bomb threats recently.
- Many people ask about your product, but can't explain what it will be used for.
- Customers are willing to pay cash for orders on a large scale.
- Customers are not aware of safe handling procedures.
- The customer wants delivery to a suspicious location.
Step 6. Contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF)
The NCDF was founded after Hurricane Katrina to combat false claims related to the billions of dollars in federal aid distributed in the aftermath of the disaster. Since then, headquarters has investigated false claims related to the BP oil spill, Hurricane Sandy, and other disasters. If you suspect or have evidence of fraud, waste, and/or abuse related to local, state, or federal disaster relief, this is the part of the FBI you should contact.
- Phone: 1-866-720-5721
- Email: [email protected]
- Letter: National Center for Disaster Fraud, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4909
Step 7. Use the corporate fraud complaint line to report corporate corruption
If you suspect fraud at your company, you can use this complaint line that was established in 2003 following the Enron investigation. The telephone number is 1-888-622-0117. Corporate fraud that the FBI may investigate includes:
- Falsification of financial information, including fraudulent records, fraudulent trading to inflate profits or hide losses, and transactions designed to evade surveillance
- Approval by company insiders, including insider trading, bribery, misuse of company property for personal gain, and tax violations
- Obstruction of the justice process designed to conceal the above crimes
Step 8. Report public corruption on one of the local corruption complaint lines here
The FBI investigates corruption at all levels of government, from local, state to federal and across all three branches. Bribery is the most common form of corruption, but the FBI also frequently investigates extortion, embezzlement, extortion, bribery, and money laundering, as well as wire, mail, bank and tax fraud. Areas of focus now are borderline corruption, corruption related to natural disaster relief funds, and election crimes involving campaign finance, voter/vote fraud, and civil rights violations.
Method 3 of 4: Calling the FBI to Request Information or Records
Step 1. Get a copy of your Identity History Summary (request sheet)
If you are ever fingerprinted in connection with an arrest, or for federal or military service, the fingerprint record and related information will be sent to the FBI. You can request this information - or request certification that they do not have an Identity History Summary - as a personal review, to object to information, to meet adoption requirements, or to meet overseas move requirements. Only you can request a copy of your own claim sheet.
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To submit your request directly to the FBI:
- Fill in the Applicant Information Form.
- Get a set of fingerprints on a standard fingerprint form.
- Include payments by credit card, money order, or guaranteed check.
- Send everything by mail to: FBI CJIS Division – Summary Request, 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarkkburg, WV 26306.
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To submit your request through an FBI-approved Channeler (a private business contracted with the FBI to collect and deliver application information):
- Contact an FBI-approved Channeler to schedule an appointment.
- You can usually fill out the Applicant Information Form, take fingerprints, and pay at the Channeler facility. Make sure you discuss the proper procedure when calling the Channeler.
Step 2. Ask for notes about yourself
The FBI may have files about you outside of the Identity History Summary linked to your fingerprints. To get this file:
- Use U. S. Department of Justice Certificate of Identity Form DOJ-361.
- Or write the letter yourself, sign it, then it is legalized by a notary, or simply write: “Under penalty of perjury, I hereby declare that I am the person named above and I understand that any falsification of this statement is punishable under the provisions of Title 18, United States Code (USC), Section 1001 by a fine of not more than $10,000 or by imprisonment of not more than five years, or both; and that requesting or obtaining any record(s) under false pretenses is punishable under the provisions of Title 5, U. S. C., Section 552a(i)(3) as a misdemeanor and by a fine of not more than $5,000.”
- Email your request to [email protected].
- By fax to 540-868-4391 / 4997.
- By mail to: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Attn: FOI/PA Request, Record/Information Dissemination Section, 170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843
Step 3. Ask for notes about other people
You can review the notes in the FBI's electronic reading room, but if you want them sent home. Or, if you want to request unreleased records, file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. If available, these records will be sent to you on CD. For additional information on how to request records, email the FBI at [email protected].
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Use a sample FOIA application letter, or write your own letter and include:
- Your full name and address.
- Information about what you're looking for, such as name, alias, date and place of birth, social security number, and previous address.
- A complete description of each particular incident that interests you.
- If you are requesting information about a living person, you will need proof of their written consent. Use U. S. Department of Justice Certificate of Identity Form DOJ-361 and complete the section entitled "Authorization to Release Information to Another Person".
- If you request information about a deceased person, you must provide evidence of death, such as an obituary, death certificate, recognized media source, date of birth more than 100 years ago, or a page from the Social Security Death Index.
- State how much you are willing to pay for the duplication fee.
- Email your request to [email protected].
- By fax to 540-868-4391 / 4997.
- By mail to: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Attn: FOI/PA Request, Record/Information Dissemination Section, 170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843
Step 4. Contact the national press office if you are a member of the news media seeking information
For inquiries about cases, personnel changes, policies or other matters, you can contact the press office by calling 202-324-3000/3691.
Method 4 of 4: Requesting Information on Jobs, Business Opportunities, and Partnerships
Step 1. Contact the FBI to inquire about job openings
You can learn more about online jobs at the FBI job site, by attending a recruiting event, or by contacting the nearest field office. Jobs are applied via the internet. You can find out how here.
Step 2. Find out about the business opportunity
The Finance Division is responsible for procuring FBI needs. They run monthly vendor outreach in Washington, DC, and you can sign up by calling 1-800-345-3712. You can also contact the Small Business Program Office of the FBI directly.
- By mail: Mr. L. G. Chuck Mabry, Small Business Specialist Acquisition Strategy and Planning Unit, Room 6863, 935 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20535
- By phone: 202-324-0263
- By email: [email protected]
Step 3. Find out about law enforcement partnerships
If you are part of a law enforcement agency or other organization and want to partner with the FBI, you should contact the FBI's Office of Partner Engagement.
