Report a Scam to the Attorney General

Here’s a secure link to the National Association of Attorneys General. You’ll find the AG for your State among the 50 listed here, as well as the AG for Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Most people don’t know they can—and should—report scams to the Attorney General in their state. One of the biggest mistakes scam victims make is not letting anyone know they’ve been victims of a crime:

• They don’t tell their friends or family members, usually out of shame or fear of being scolded.
• They don’t report it to the police, probably because they assume the police won’t be able to do anything about it.
• They’re likely unaware that the attorney general in their state would want to know about the crime.

That’s what this article is about.Not only to increase your awareness of the importance of reporting a scam, but also to let you know you can report a scam to your state’s attorney general.

Why report a scam to the attorney general?

We often hear stories about scams in the media, but not as much as other crimes, and that shouldn’t be the case. After all, a “successful” scam (one in which the victim loses money) is a crime. Today, scams account for the loss of billions of dollars annually. Most victims of scams are individuals, not large businesses, and most are not wealthy.

Criminals need to be brought to justice, but they cannot be caught unless authorities are aware of them and try to hunt them down. This applies to scammers as much as to burglars, drug dealers, or cybercriminals. Catching scammers has become more difficult because they are incredibly elusive, often running online operations from countries in other corners of the world.

What Does an Attorney General do?

You might think of the attorney general as a politician, but they are, in fact, servants of the people in their state. An attorney general’s sworn duty is to ensure justice and safety for consumers in their state. Protecting consumers from fraud, scams, and other crimes is what they do.

• The AG is the State’s top lawyer and top law enforcement official. Their goal is to protect and serve your interests in various ways.
• Their responsibilities include helping victims of identity theft, investigating consumer fraud, and investigating other crimes against consumers.
• Their office is responsible for enforcing their State’s consumer protection regulations.
• They work with other state agencies to enforce the laws
• They play a key role in investigating and prosecuting criminal matters, including scams.
• The State attorney general creates and manages projects and programs to identify and eradicate fraudulent or criminal activities that victimize consumers or threaten public safety.

To report a scam to your state’s attorney general, you can either visit their website to file a complaint online or call their listed number.

Use the Scam Report Preparation Guide

Your state attorney general will want precise details of a scam in your report. Therefore, gathering your thoughts and information is essential before going online to fill out forms.

Here’s some help with that.

We created a Scam Report Preparation Guide to help you recall the key details about your involvement with a scam. Click the link below to read it.