Report a Scam in Your State
Every state has a Consumer Protection office. Find yours and report fast.
Identity theft? Freeze your credit first — before you file anything.
A credit freeze blocks new accounts from being opened in your name. It is free at all three bureaus and takes a few minutes each.
I was scammed — where do I report?
Answer a couple of questions and we will point you at the agencies most likely to help.
What kind of loss are you reporting?
Pick your state
All 50 states plus Washington, DC. Each entry has the Consumer Protection hotline, complaint form, scam sub-pages, Adult Protective Services line, and small-claims limit.
State of California
Attorney General · Rob Bonta
If the AG name looks out of date, check oag.ca.gov for the current office holder.
Consumer Protection hotline
1-800-952-5225
Online complaint form
File a complaint
Adult Protective Services (elder abuse)
1-833-401-0832
AG homepage
oag.ca.gov
Scam topics on California's AG site
State Do-Not-Call registry
Use federal list at donotcall.gov
2-1-1 help line
Available — dial 2-1-1
Small claims limit
$12,500
AARP Fraud Watch Helpline — 1-877-908-3360
Free to anyone (you do not need to be an AARP member). Real people talk you through what happened, help you identify the scam, and point you at the right reporting channels. Open weekdays, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. ET.
AARP Fraud Watch NetworkWhich agency handles what
A cheat sheet for when the wizard above is not enough. File with the ones that fit your situation — usually two or three.
Your State Attorney General (Consumer Protection)
File when: In-state merchant scams, price gouging, deceptive business practices, senior fraud, and local companies treating you unfairly.
Every state AG has a Consumer Protection office. They pursue civil cases against businesses, negotiate refunds, and publish scam alerts. Most do not chase individual criminal cases — but your complaint helps them build bigger ones.
FTC — Federal Trade Commission
File when: National or online chains, identity theft, phone scams, robocalls, and anything that crossed state lines.
The FTC runs ReportFraud.ftc.gov and IdentityTheft.gov. They feed data into Consumer Sentinel, a database used by 2,800+ law enforcement agencies nationwide.
1-877-382-4357Visit siteFBI IC3 — Internet Crime Complaint Center
File when: Internet crime, wire fraud, cryptocurrency loss, romance scams, business email compromise, and ransomware.
IC3 is the FBI's central intake for cyber-enabled fraud. File as soon as possible — recovery of wired money sometimes works in the first 72 hours.
Local Police
File when: Threats, physical harassment, stolen property, stalking, and any in-person crime.
Police reports are also useful paperwork for banks and credit bureaus. Ask for a copy of the report number.
Non-emergency line for your townVisit siteCFPB — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
File when: Banks, credit cards, mortgages, student loans, debt collectors, and credit reports.
CFPB forwards your complaint to the company and usually gets a response within 15 days. Very effective for bank and credit disputes.
1-855-411-2372Visit siteSEC — Securities and Exchange Commission
File when: Investment fraud, fake brokers, Ponzi schemes, unregistered securities.
The SEC also runs Investor.gov, which lets you check if someone is a registered broker before you send money.
1-800-732-0330Visit siteIRS — Internal Revenue Service
File when: Tax scams, fake IRS calls, unauthorized returns filed in your name, stolen refunds.
Real IRS agents never call to demand immediate payment, threaten arrest, or ask for gift cards. Any of those is a scam — hang up.
1-800-908-4490Visit siteMedicare Fraud Hotline
File when: Fake Medicare cards, bogus medical equipment, billing for services never received.
HHS Office of Inspector General investigates. You can also use 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to report billing irregularities on your MSN (Medicare Summary Notice).
1-800-447-8477Visit siteSocial Security OIG
File when: Fake SSA calls, benefit theft, stolen SSN used on work records, suspended-SSN scams.
The Social Security Administration does not suspend numbers, threaten arrest, or demand gift cards. If you get a call that does, hang up and report it here.
1-800-269-0271Visit siteState Insurance Department
File when: Insurance claims denied unfairly, suspicious insurance offers, fake policies, agent misconduct.
The NAIC directory links you straight to your state's insurance regulator. They can investigate carriers and agents licensed in your state.
State Board of Pharmacy
File when: Fake online pharmacies, counterfeit prescriptions, medication diversion, prescription fraud.
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) lists every state's board. They also run Safe.Pharmacy, which flags illegal online pharmacies.
Why report to more than one agency
Most people should file three places, not one. Each agency tracks different data and has different powers — criminal vs. civil, state vs. federal, complaint-based vs. pattern-based.
- 1Your State AG — civil action against in-state businesses, refund negotiation, state-level scam alerts.
- 2FTC (or IC3 for online fraud) — federal databases feeding nationwide investigations and international coordination.
- 3Local police — creates a paper trail you need for banks, credit bureaus, and insurance claims. Ask for the report number.
- +Add a topic-specific one when relevant: CFPB for banks, SSA OIG for SSN misuse, Medicare hotline for health billing, SEC for investments.
What actually happens after you file
Most complaints do not turn into an individual investigation. That is not a failure — it is how the system works. Your report goes into a database that agencies use to spot patterns, and when enough people report the same scheme, a case opens.
Expect: a confirmation number, maybe a standard letter, and in some cases (especially CFPB bank disputes) a formal response from the company.
Do not expect: a phone call the next day, a private investigator on your case, or a dramatic arrest. Occasionally a State AG investigator does call back for more info — pick up if a number you do not recognize calls from your AG office area.
The biggest return on your time: freezing credit, disputing charges with your bank or card issuer (act within 60 days), and sharing what you learned so someone else does not fall for it.
Keep records — at least 3 years
A scam complaint is only as strong as your paper trail. Save everything, even if it feels like too much. Banks and agencies will ask for specifics months later.
- Screenshots of texts, emails, and chat messages
- Caller ID numbers and call times
- Receipts, invoices, and order confirmations
- Bank and credit card statements showing the charges
- Copies of any checks or money orders
- The URL and screenshots of any scam website
- Names, titles, and badge numbers anyone gave you
- A written timeline of what happened, while it is fresh
Fraud against a deceased relative
Scammers watch obituaries. Common hits: fake inheritance letters, forged life insurance claims, bogus funeral-bill collections, and identity theft using a deceased person's SSN. Report to the State AG + FTC + SSA OIG, and ask the three credit bureaus to flag the file as "deceased."
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