We’re here to help you.

If you’ve been the victim of a financial scam or unlawful action, submit a complaint with state and federal regulators.

Start with the DFPI if it’s regarding one of the following:

Submit a complaint online or call (866) 275-2677

You can also submit complaints to the following federal agencies:

• Securities fraud or wrongdoing: Securities and Exchange Commission
• Violations related to futures, options, and swaps and/or the sale of any commodity in interstate commerce: Commodities and Futures Trading Commission
• Cybercrime: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center
• All other frauds, scams or bad business practices: Federal Trade Commission

Check our provider verification page to see if a business or financial professional is licensed or registered with the DFPI. We register/license a variety of entities including, but not limited to:

• Insurance providers
• Student loan borrowers’ services / Consolidation services
• Debt collection companies
• Payday/Installation loan lenders
• Credit repair and counseling companies
• Home loan lenders / refinancing companies
• Real estate agents
• Financial planners / advisors

You can also search for current enforcements, actions, orders and administrative hearings to see if a business/person has had any recent actions taken against them due to questionable practices.

Investing can be a smart choice for some, but it can also be risky. Check with federal and state regulators to find out about frauds, scams, and their other areas of jurisdiction.

• Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and its related sites:
  • EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) database: Search financial information of companies and research information provided by mutual funds (including money market funds), exchange-traded funds (ETFs), variable annuities, promissory notes, and individuals.
  • Office of Investor Education and Advocacy: Provides a variety of services and tools to help invest wisely and avoid fraud. You can also visit the SEC main site or call 1-800-732-0330.
• Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA): This is a government-authorized not-for-profit organization that oversees U.S. broker-dealers.
  • Resources for Investors: Plain language explanations for key investing concepts, different types of investments and investment professionals, and questions to ask. FINRA also provides tools and calculators to help you make informed financial decisions
  • FINRA BrokerCheck^®: A free tool to research the background and experience of securities brokers, financial advisers, and firms that tells you instantly whether they are registered, as required by law, to sell securities. Visit their website or call 1-800-289-9999.
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): The CFPB works to ensure you’re treated fairly by banks, lenders, and other financial institutions. Learn about regulation of consumer financial products at the national level to help make informed decisions. Visit their website or call 1-855-411-2372.
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)’s BankFind Suite: Allows you to locate current and former FDIC-insured banking institutions by name, FDIC certificate number, website and/or by location.
  • The Suite also allows a user to follow the history and financial trends of an individual institution, group of institutions, or the industry as a whole.

Crypto assets are not regulated and overseen to the same extent as U.S. dollars, but there are state and federal agencies that monitor them. Check out these resources for more information.

Crypto asset monitoring resources:

• Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Crypto Assets and Cyber Enforcement Actions: Issues crypto asset alerts, updates on investigations, and any federal charges filed against businesses or entities.
• Commodities and Futures Trading Commission’s Digital Assets: Monitors the potential effects crypto asset scams can have on the futures and commodities industry; posts consumer advisories and more.
• Federal Trade Commission’s Cryptocurrency Consumer Advice: Get the latest alerts and consumer advice articles from the agency.
• U.S Treasury’s FinCEN MSB Registrant Search: The division of the U.S. Treasury responsible for the regulation of entities that have registered as Money Services Businesses (MSB). That includes any person doing business, whether on a regular basis or as an organized business concern, in one or more of the following capacities:
  1. Currency dealer or exchanger
  2. Check casher
  3. Issuer of traveler’s checks, money orders, or stored value
  4. Seller or redeemer of traveler’s checks, money orders, or stored value
  5. Money transmitter
  6. U.S. Postal Service

Learn about these common scams and how tom.

• Charity Scams:
  • Charity Navigator: Evaluates hundreds of thousands of charitable organizations based in the United States, operating as a free 501 organization. Find out if a charity you’ve been approached about donating to is legitimate or a scam.
  • California Office of the Attorney General:
    • Search the Registry of Charitable Trusts to verify whether a charitable organization or fundraiser has complied with registration and reporting requirements.
    • Report misapplied donations to the California Office of the Attorney General or download their complaint form.
• IRS Scams:
  NOTE: If you owe federal taxes, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 or visit IRS.gov to discuss your options. The IRS will not call, email, or text to collect payment on taxes.
  • Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA): If you have been contacted by someone claiming to be an IRS agent or suspect a tax scam or fraud is taking place, report it to TIGTA. Visit their website or call 1-800-366-4484.

Find out which products, programs, and services pose the most benefit—or risk—to your financial situation.

• Free Credit Repair and Counseling Services:
  NOTE: If you need credit counseling, many nonprofit agencies offer it for free.
  • Credit.org: An independent nonprofit financial counseling agency providing free credit and debt counseling. Visit their website or call 1-800-431-8157.
  • The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC): A nonprofit organization that provides access to a large nonprofit network of certified counselors. Visit their website or call 1-800-388-2227.
  • ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions (a division of Money Management International, Inc.): Offers free online credit counseling sessions with certified counselors. Visit their website or call 1-800-750-2227.
• Assistance With Banks and Financial Institutions:
  • California State-Chartered Banks and Credit Unions: Contact the DFPI at 1-866-275-2677 or email: DFPI@dfpi.ca.gov.
  • Federal Financial Institution Regulators:
    • The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) Information and Support Center: Provides the ability for consumers with inquiries or complaints about financial institutions, bank failures, or deposit insurance coverage to open cases with the FDIC for assistance and resolution. Visit their website or call 1-877-275-3342. You can also visit the FDIC main site.
    • Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Customer Assistance Group (OCC Customer Assistance Group): Offers help with national banks like Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, and Union Bank, etc. Visit their website or call 1-800-613-6743.
    • Federal Reserve Consumer Help: Offers help if you have a problem with a bank or other financial institution. Visit their website or call 1-888-851-1920.
    • National Credit Union Administration Consumer Protection Assistance Center: Assists consumers in resolving disputes with credit unions and provides information about federal consumer financial protection and insurance matters. Visit their website or call 1-800-755-1030.

Stay informed on your rights as a California consumer and how to protect yourself from unfair practices.

• Debt Collection Rights:
  • Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: Federal law stating that people collecting debts can’t harass, oppress, abuse, or deceive you or anyone else they contact.
  • Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: California state law that prohibits debt collectors from acting in unlawful, unfair, deceptive, or abusive ways to a consumer. Learn more here.
• California Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights:
  • Assembly Bill 376: Gives Californians with federal and private student loans a Bill of Rights. Requires servicers to work in the best interest of borrowers, prohibiting servicers from giving student loan borrowers inaccurate information or taking advantage of misunderstandings.
  • Directory of Student Loan Servicers Licensed and Non-Licensed (covered) by the DFPI: Includes licensed companies and companies that are exempted from licensing but are still covered by the Student Borrower Bill of Rights.
  • California Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights: The California Homeowner Bill of Rights is a set of laws that provide protections to homeowners who are facing foreclosure.
• California Homeowner Bill of Rights: The California Homeowner Bill of Rights is a set of laws that provide protections to homeowners who are facing foreclosure.

Learn about the resources available to Californians, no matter what stage of homeownership you’re in.

• California Homeowner Bill of Rights: The California Homeowner Bill of Rights is a set of laws that provide protections to homeowners who are facing foreclosure.
• Home Improvement and Modification Services:
  • Property Assessed Clean Energy programs (PACE): Provides a unique type of financing to homeowners for energy-efficient, water-saving, and other environmentally beneficial improvements through their property taxes. They are also susceptible to scams.
    • Verify PACE lenders with the DFPI
    • Submit a PACE related complaint if you think you’ve been scammed.
  • Contractors State License Board (CSLB): Protects California consumers by licensing and regulating the state’s construction industry. Licenses about 290,000 contractors in 44 different classifications. Visit their website or call 1-800-321-2752
    • Find My Licensed Contractor: Search to see if your contractor is licensed with CSLB
• Resources for Military Homeowners
  • Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA): SCRA is a program that provides certain protections in lending for servicemembers who are called to Active Duty.
  • Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Legal Information Portal: Designed to educate and inform military members on their personal legal affairs.
    • U.S. Armed Forces Legal Services Locator: Find an office in your area.
  • Military One Source: An online gateway to trusted information, resources, and confidential help.
    • Personal Finance: Offers free financial counseling services, tax filing services, legal assistance services, and more.
  • DFPI Military and Veterans information: Provides tools and resources for all stages of military life.
• Bankruptcy/Foreclosure Resources:
  • U.S. State Courts: Information that explains the bankruptcy filing process.
  • 995HOPE Hotline: A hotline and website with counselors to help deal with foreclosure and other financial hardships. Call 1-888-995-HOPE (1-888-995-4673).
    • Foreclosure Prevention Scam Assistance: Helps verify individuals/companies that claim to be affiliated with the U.S. government. Also reports fraudulent parties to government officials/agencies.
  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): Helps find approved housing counselors in or near any U.S. ZIP code. Visit their website or call 1-855-411-2372.
  • Federal Reserve Consumer Help: Offers help if you have a problem with a bank or other financial institution, foreclosure and more. Visit their website or call 1-888-851-1920.
  • National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Consumer Protection Assistance Center: Assists consumers in resolving disputes with credit unions and providing information about federal consumer financial protections. Visit their website or call 1-800-755-1030.

Get resources to help stay safe from cyber criminals, identity theft, and unwanted contacts. Plus, find out how to monitor your credit.

• Lost or Stolen Mail
  • U.S. Postal Inspection Service: Report lost or stolen mail or suspected scams to the U.S. Postal Inspector. Visit their website or call 877-876-2455.
    • Report Mail Related Crime: The Postal Inspection Service prosecutes any scheme that uses the U.S. Mail to obtain money or something of value by offering a product, service, or investment that intentionally does not live up to its claim.
• Register for Do Not Call Lists
  • FTC Unwanted Emails, Text, and Spam: Offers help with unwanted contacts. Visit their website or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357)
    • Notify the FTC of spam emails: spam@uce.gov
    • Report suspected fraud
  • National Do Not Call Registry: Gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls. Register your home phone or cell number online or by phone for free.
    • Note: You can register by phone by calling 1-888- 382-1222 from the phone number you want to register.
  • OptOut Prescreen: The official Consumer Credit Reporting Industry website that accepts and processes requests from consumers to opt-in or opt-out of pre-approved credit and insurance offers. Visit their website or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT
  • Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Call Blocking: Provides tips on working with your mobile provider to block unwanted calls.
  • DMchoice: A non-profit online service tool offered through the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) that helps consumers express their marketing preferences to participating companies and organizations.
    • Note: This service is meant to reduce the overall volume of prospect promotional offers received. It will not eliminate all promotional mail.
• Report Identity Theft
  • FTC Identity Theft Hotline: Report identity theft and make a plan to help you recover. Visit their website or call 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338)
  • Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General: Handles allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse concerning SSA programs and operations.
    Visit their website or call the Social Security Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271. You can also visit the Social Security main site.
  • California Office of the Attorney General: Connects you to resources for reporting identity theft and help clearing up records.
    • Identity Theft Checklist: Lists the actions most identity theft victims should take to limit the damage done by the thief.
• Credit Monitoring
  • AnnualCreditReport.com: You are entitled to receive one free credit report a year from the major credit monitoring companies. Get a free copy to help ensure your information is current and up to date. Visit their website or call 1-877-322-8228.
  • Report fraud and discrepancies to the major credit bureaus:
    • Equifax: Visit their website (www.equifax.com) or call 1-800-525-6285.
    • Experian: Visit their website (www.experian.com) or call 1-888-397-3742.
    • TransUnion: Visit their website (www.transunion.com) or call 1-800-680-7289.
  • Contact the Social Security Administration if you find discrepancies in your credit reports and suspect someone is using your Social Security Number. Visit their website or call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).
    • Download the Identity Theft and Your Social Security Number

Report serious issues like elder abuse and financial exploitation, plus find additional resources for older adults.

• Report Elder Abuse
  • Eldercare Locator: A public service provided by the U.S. Administration on Aging to find Adult Protective Services (APS) and other resources in your area.
  • California Department of Social Services (CDSS): Supports programs which serve more than eight million people across our state
  • Find Elder abuse report forms
  • Learn more about Adult Protective Services
  • Download a list of APS offices in California
• Legal Support Resources
  • California Association of Area Agencies on Aging: A nonprofit organization representing California’s 33 area agencies on aging and is the leading voice on aging issues in California. Visit their website or call 1-800-510-2020.
  • State Bar of California’s Lawyer Referral Service: Offers help looking for a private attorney to assist with a Power of Attorney, trust, will, or other advance planning tools. Visit their website or call 1-800-843-9053.
  • Bet Tzedek Legal Services: Provides free, expert legal advice and representation to low-income residents. Visit their website or call 1-323-939-0506.
• Additional Support Programs
  • California Department of Aging: Oversees programs serving older adults, adults with disabilities, family caregivers, and residents in long-term care facilities throughout California. Visit their website or call 1-800-510-2020.
  • California Senior Gateway: Provides seniors, their families, and caregivers with the information they need to connect to helpful services.
  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Guides for Managing Someone’s Else’s Money: A series of four guides designed to help financial caregivers of older adults understand their duties and resources.