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Government Agencies to Which You May Report Frauds and Scams

Government Agencies Around the World to Which You May Report Frauds and Scams

United States of America

(Click here for state agencies)

• Federal Trade Commission - The Federal Trade Commission provides information to help consumers spot and avoid fraudulent practices in the marketplace, and can be contacted at the following:
  FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
  600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE NW
  WASHINGTON DC 20580-0001
  Phone: 1-877-FTC-HELP
  
  Click here to search the FTC database to see if a particular company or product has been investigated for false advertising, defective products or other trade issues? Just search the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) database.
   
• FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations)
  • Local FBI office: Click here to locate your local FBI office's address and phone number.
  • FBI Internet Fraud Complaint Center
    The Internet Crime Complaint Center can best process your complaint if they receive accurate and complete information from you. They request that you provide the following information, if available, when filing a complaint:
    • Your name
    • Your mailing address
    • Your telephone number
    • Name of the individual or business that defrauded you
    • Address of the individual or business that defrauded you
    • Telephone number of the individual or business that defrauded you
    • Website and email address of the individual or business that defrauded you
    • Specific details on how you were defrauded
    • Any other relevant information necessary to support your complaint
    • Filing a complaint with the FBI:
      • How to file
• National Fraud Information Center - non-government org - The NFIC was originally established in 1992 by the National Consumers League, the oldest nonprofit consumer organization in the United States, to fight the growing menace of telemarketing fraud by improving prevention and enforcement.
  • Latest fraud news
     
• US Postal Service - The U.S. Postal Inspection Service should be contacted if you think you may have been victimized by a fraudulent promotional offer. You can contact them at the following address, or check the government pages of your telephone book:
  US POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE
  OPERATIONS SUPPORT GROUP
  222 S RIVERSIDE PLAZA SUITE 1250
  CHICAGO IL 60606-6100
  800-372-8347
   
• Secret Service - If you ever receive an e-mail or fax from someone you do not know requesting your assistance in a financial transaction, such as the transfer of a large sum of money into an account, or claiming you are the next of kin to an wealthy person who has died, or the winner of some obscure lottery and suffered a significant financial loss related to the advance fee fraud (so-called "Nigerian scam"), please contact your local Secret Service field office. Telephone numbers are available in the Field Office Directory and may also be found on the inside cover of your local telephone directory. Any investigation regarding this type of fraud will be conducted on a case by case basis at the discretion of the local Secret Service and U.S. Attorney's Office.
   
• State Attorneys General. Your state Attorney General or local office of consumer protection is also listed in the government pages of your telephone book.
   
• Securities and Exchange Commission - The SEC has an online center for complaints and enforcement tips.  Through this page you can file a complaint or provide the S.E.C with tips on potential securities law violations.
   
• EConsumer.gov, a service of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network
   
• Tax scams: Whether by email, mail or phone send the information and a copy of the mail or email to phishing@irs.gov

State Agencies

[ Alabama ] [ Alaska ] [ Arkansas ] [ Arizona ] [ California ] [ Colorado ] [ Connecticut ] [ Delaware ] [District of Columbia] [ Florida ] [ Georgia ] [ Hawaii ] [ Idaho ] [ Illinois ] [ Indiana ] [ Iowa ] [ Kansas ] [ Kentucky ] [ Louisiana ] [ Maine ] [ Maryland ] [ Massachusetts ] [ Michigan ] [ Minnesota ] [ Mississippi ] [ Missouri ] [Montana] [Nebraska] [ Nevada ] [ New Hampshire ] [ New Jersey ] [ New Mexico ] [ New York ] [ North Carolina ] [ North Dakota ] [ Ohio ] [ Oklahoma ] [ Oregon ] [ Pennsylvania ] [ Rhode Island ] [ South Carolina ] [ South Dakota ] [ Tennessee ] [ Texas ] [ Utah ] [ Vermont ] [ Virginia ] [ Washington state ] [Washington, DC]  [ West Virginia ] [ Wisconsin ]  [ Wyoming ]

Non-governmental Agencies and Organizations that can help with frauds

• Better Business Bureau Contact the Better Business Bureau where the company is located.
• National Fraud Information Center/Internet Fraud Watch The NFIC is a project of the National Consumers League, which helps consumers with information, referral services, and assistance in filing complaints. or 800-876-7060, TDD 202-835-0778. The information you provide helps to stop identity theft.   
• Call for Action, the international nonprofit network of hotlines working in partnership with radio and television stations, resolves consumer problems through free and confidential mediation.
  CALL FOR ACTION INC
  5272 RIVER ROAD SUITE 300
  BETHESDA MD 20816-1405
  1-800-647-1756
• Nigeria ' The 419 Coalition
• Direct Marketing Association (DMA) member companies will assist you if you have a question or complaint or would like to request that your name be removed from their promotions:
  • Publishers Clearing House
    Christopher Irving
    Director, Consumer Affairs
    Publishers Clearing House
    382 Channel Drive
    Port Washington, NY 11050
    Tel: 800-337-4724
  • Time, Inc.
    Rosalyn McDavid
    Time, Inc.
    1271 Avenue of the Americas
    New York, NY 10020
  • Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
    Reader's Digest Customer Service
    1995 G Avenue
    Red Oak, IA 51566
    Tel: 800-635-5006
  • Suarez Corporation
    Customer Service
    Suarez Corporation
    7800 Whipple Ave. NW
    North Canton, OH 44720
    Tel: 330-494-4282

Other Countries

Global and Regional Agencies

• Asia Pacific Consumer Law links
• Consumers International
• Consumers International list of consumer agencies worldwide
• eConsumer.gov: file consumer complaints about international transactions
• European Advertising Standards Alliance (self-regulation)
• European Commission on Consumer Affairs
• European Consumer Organization
• European countries' consumer networks and organizations
• International Consumer Agencies list from Virtual Institute of Information
• International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN)
• Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue

Australia

• Australian Securities and Investment Commission
• Australia Scamwatch
• Consumers online (Australian Government)
• The Australian Communications Authority monitors the compliance of the legislation in Australia. Visit their website, if you would like to report/complain about spam, or obtain more information on spam laws, spam reduction, and internet security.
• Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs, Australia
• South Australia Office of Consumer and Business Affairs
• Consumer and Employment Protection, Government of Western Australia
• Western Australia Department of Consumer and Employment Protection - Scamnet
• Australian Consumers' Association
• Australian Consumer Law
• Australia ConsumersOnline.Gov: government consumer portal
• Australian Department of Fair Trading (New South Wales)
• Australian National Consumer Website
• Australia Office of Consumer and Business Affairs
• Australia Product Safety Recalls

Canada

• Better Business Bureau
• Industry Canada Consumer Connection (Scams)
• Phone Busters (Telemarketing Complaints)
• Canada: Alberta Consumers' Association
• Industry Canada Consumer Information
• Canada's Consumer Information Gateway from government agencies
• Consumers' Association of Canada
• Consumers Council of Canada
• Canada: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
• SOCAP Canada

Estonia

• Estonia Consumer Protection Board

Finland

• Finland National Consumer Research Centre

Germany

• Germany's Stiftung Warentest: product reviews, more

Hong Kong

• Hong Kong Consumer Council

Hungary

• Hungary Inspectorate for Consumer Protection

India

• India (Rourkela) Consumer Protection Council

Ireland

• Ireland Consumers' Association
• Ireland Consumerline.org: consumer advice, links, publications
• Ireland (Northern) General Consumer Council
• Ireland National Consumer Agency

Italy

• ASSOUTENTI - Onlus - Associazione nazionale utenti dei servizi pubblici (Italian national consumers assoc.)
• Italy/Confconsumatori: Association of Consumers for Consumers

Jamaica

• Jamaica Consumer Affairs Commission

Japan

• Japan National Consumer Affairs Center

Korea

• Korea Consumer Gateway to 200+ agencies/groups
• Korea Consumer Protection Board

Malta

• Malta: consumer articles, warnings by journalist
• Malta Consumers' Association

Mexico

• Mexico's Federal Consumer Protection Agency (en espanol)

New Zealand

• Commerce Commission
• Consumers' Institute of New Zealand, Inc.
• Ministry of Consumer Affairs
• NZ Securities Commission
• NZ Serious Fraud Office
• For more information about lotteries and gaming laws in New Zealand visit the Department of Internal Affairs website (www.dia.govt.nz  ).

Norway

• Police Economic Crime Unit, Norway  (press "Bedragerier")

Poland

• Polish Consumer Federation

Russia

• Russian Consumer Federation

Singapore

• Consumers Association of Singapore

Spain

• Spain: National Consumer Institute (in Spanish)
• Spain: Consumer.es (consumer news stories in Spanish)

Sweden

• Swedish Consumer Agency
• Swedish Consumer Coalition
  

UK

• Metropolitan Police, London
• Office of Fair Trading, London
• www.ripofftipoff.net
• UK's Advertising Standards Authority
• UK Consumer Action Group
• UK Consumer Direct: advice and information
• UK Ethical Consumer: corp. social/environmental records
• UK ICSTIS: monitors premium rate telephone services
• UK's National Consumer Council
• Welsh Consumer Council (Wales)
• What Consumer: UK consumer advice
• Which? -- the UK's equivalent of Consumer Reports
• Which? UK Consumer Rights Site
• Trading Standards Net (comprehensive UK consumer site)
• Trading Standards Central (by U.K. government)

And please let us know about any suspicious calls or emails you receive.  We look for patterns so that we can alert the authorities and victims to new scams, before it is too late!

 

 

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For a comprehensive list of national and international agencies to report scams, see this page.