How to Report a Federal Crime
- 1). Identify the appropriate agency. Most federal crimes should be reported directly to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But some should be referred to specific agencies or departments. For example, counterfeiting should be reported to the Department of the Treasury. The link in the Resources section titled "Reporting a Federal Crime" has a list of crimes and the appropriate federal agency for each.
- 2). Draft a brief written explanation. The forms used to submit tips and report crimes have limited space. For example, the FBI electronic intake form is limited to 7,500 characters. Thus, it's important to take some time and effort to write a clear and concise explanation of the crime you're reporting so agents know how to respond.
- 3). Submit tips electronically. The link in the Resources section below titled "FBI Tips and Public Leads" takes you to the electronic form to submit information directly to the FBI. The U.S. Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Federal Trade Commission have a similar form for submitting leads.
- 4). Make yourself available for follow-up. Though federal agents will find you if they need to speak with you badly enough, it's helpful if you monitor your email for a few days after submitting your information so you can follow-up quickly if the federal agency involved requests more information or assistance.
Source...