FTC / FBI IC3 / OIG Reporting Checklist

Why different fraud types route to different official channels

The four reporting channels in this guide handle different incident types. IC3 handles cyber-enabled crime — email spoofing, account takeover, domain lookalikes, business email compromise. FTC handles consumer fraud and deceptive business practices. DOT OIG handles allegations involving DOT programs, federal funds, or FMCSA as a regulator. NCCDB handles FMCSA-jurisdictional complaints about regulated carrier and broker conduct. Filing with the wrong channel doesn't make a report useless, but it means the agency receiving it may lack jurisdiction to act on the specific conduct reported. For adjacent verification steps, compare this with How to Report Freight Fraud, Email Spoofing in Load Boards, and What to Do After Cargo Theft.

Many freight fraud incidents involve elements that apply to more than one channel. An email spoofing incident that resulted in payment redirection may involve IC3 for the cyber-enabled element, FTC for the deceptive practice, and NCCDB if a regulated entity's credentials were misused. Filing separately with each applicable channel is appropriate — the agencies don't require coordination between reporters.

The documentation that makes one report actionable makes all of them actionable. Email headers, official lookup screenshots, the rate confirmation, carrier packet, and a timeline of communications — organized before any form is opened — give each channel the material it needs to evaluate the incident. Filing a day later with complete documentation produces a more useful report than filing immediately with an incomplete file.

Matching the incident type to the right official reporting channel

FTC, FBI IC3, and DOT OIG each serve distinct reporting functions. Filing in the wrong place doesn't make the report useless, but it may mean the incident goes to an agency that can't act on it in the way you intended. Selecting the right channel comes down to what type of incident occurred, not which agency is most well-known.

Cyber-enabled freight fraud — spoofed emails, fake portals, business email compromise routing payments to a fraudulent account — belongs at IC3. Fraud involving an FMCSA-regulated entity's authority, registration, or broker conduct belongs at NCCDB. Broader consumer deception patterns or identity theft go to FTC. Allegations involving DOT programs, federal funds, or FMCSA in its regulatory role go to DOT OIG.

Records to organize before using any of these reporting portals

Use the same identifiers across every record. Small differences can be clerical, but they should be resolved before pickup, dispatch, or payment.

If a detail is missing, ask for the missing record rather than filling the gap from memory, an old packet, or a search result.

What to preserve from each official report submission

Save records in their original format when possible. Use one folder named with the load number, lane, date, and parties involved.

If a dispute, identity concern, or theft concern appears later, the timeline is easier to reconstruct when emails, PDFs, screenshots, call notes, and lookup results are grouped together.

Questions that identify which channel handles the specific incident

Questions should be specific and tied to records. That keeps the conversation professional and avoids unsupported accusations.

If an answer changes the transaction, document the person, date, time, and channel used to confirm it.

What filing with one channel accomplishes versus what it can't

One detail checking out is not the same as authorization confirmed. A correct number, a recognized company name, or a well-formatted document can each appear in a transaction where the communicating party has no connection to the registered entity.

A warning sign is a reason to document and verify, not a finding. Record what prompted the concern and what check it led to — that record determines whether the situation can be addressed if it escalates.

When the file supports filing with more than one channel

When the file still has gaps, slow the transaction enough to preserve the record and move the question to the right channel.

That may mean a direct call-back, a shipper or receiver confirmation, an internal escalation, an insurer or claims contact, or an official complaint or reporting resource where appropriate.

Source Notes

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