I think I or someone I know was the victim of a scam or financial exploitation. Who can I contact for help? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2024)

FAQs

I think I or someone I know was the victim of a scam or financial exploitation. Who can I contact for help? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? ›

If you or someone you care about is the victim of a fraud, scam or financial exploitation, you can report the fraud or scam to the Federal Trade Commission.

Contact your local police or sheriff's office to report the scam. Contact your state attorney general. Visit the National Association of Attorneys General. If the victim is an older person or a person with a disability, contact your local adult protective services agency.

Contact your bank or building society immediately to let them know what's happened and ask if you can get a refund.

Submit a complaint

We help consumers connect with financial companies to understand issues, fix errors, and get direct responses about problems. Tell us about your issue—we'll forward it to the company and work to get you a response, generally within 15 days.

Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff's office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.

The FTC sues scammers and works to shut them down. When you report a scam to the FTC, investigators use your information to build cases against scammers. Other law enforcement agencies can see the reports, too, and use them to further their own investigations. Your story makes a difference.

The short answer is: it depends. While getting a refund after losing money to scammers is possible, the outcome depends on factors like bank policy, the type of scam, the amount lost, and how quickly the scam was reported. According to US federal law, banks must reimburse you for unauthorized transactions.

File a complaint with government or consumer programs

File a complaint with your local consumer protection office. Notify the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in your area about your problem. The BBB tries to resolve complaints against companies. If you think you may have experienced a scam, report it to the FTC.

The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection stops unfair, deceptive and fraudulent business practices by collecting reports from consumers and conducting investigations, suing companies and people that break the law, developing rules to maintain a fair marketplace, and educating consumers and businesses about their rights ...

By filing a consumer complaint with the FCC, you contribute to federal enforcement and consumer protection efforts on a national scale and help us identify trends and track the issues that matter most. The FCC does not resolve all individual complaints.

How to track down someone who scammed you? ›

Contact the company that the scammer claims to represent, and speak to the fraud department. Report romance scams directly to the customer support department on dating sites and apps. File a report with local law enforcement to help police track down someone who scammed you.

Trade violations occur when people evade customs laws and reporting requirements, dodge financial obligations and manipulate trade to illicitly benefit. Cyber-enabled financial crimes. These crimes, which include identity theft and complex online scams, occur when criminals use technology to commit them.