The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the primary federal consumer protection agency. Filing a complaint is free, takes less than 10 minutes, and your report goes directly into a database used by federal and state law enforcement to identify patterns of fraud and take enforcement action.
When to File an FTC Complaint
File an FTC complaint when you experience:
- Identity theft or unauthorized use of your personal information
- Fraud, scams, or deceptive business practices (fake websites, counterfeit products, impersonators)
- Do Not Call Registry violations (unwanted telemarketing or robocalls)
- Debt collection abuse (FDCPA violations)
- Unfair or deceptive terms buried in contracts or subscriptions
- Fake reviews or misleading advertising
- Data breaches affecting you
- Pyramid schemes or MLM fraud
- Price gouging during national emergencies
How to File an FTC Complaint
Step 1: Go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov
The FTC's complaint portal is at reportfraud.ftc.gov. This is the only official portal — not consumerfinance.gov (that's the CFPB for financial products) and not ftc.gov/complaint.
Step 2: Choose your complaint category
The portal will ask you to categorize the issue. Select the category that best fits. You can also report identity theft specifically at IdentityTheft.gov.
Step 3: Provide detailed information
Your complaint is most useful when it includes:
- Company or individual's full name and contact information
- What happened — a clear, specific account of the fraudulent or deceptive behavior
- Dates when the conduct occurred
- Dollar amount involved if applicable
- Documentation you can upload (screenshots, emails, receipts, contracts)
- Your contact information (optional, but enables investigators to follow up)
Step 4: Review and submit
Double-check your information and submit. You'll receive a reference number — save it.
What Happens After You File
Here's the honest reality:
The FTC will not investigate your individual complaint. They do not have the capacity to handle individual disputes — that's not their role.
But your report DOES matter:
1. Pattern detection: Your complaint goes into the Consumer Sentinel database, used by 2,800 law enforcement agencies. When the FTC sees hundreds of similar complaints about the same company, it triggers investigations.
2. Enforcement actions: FTC lawsuits frequently cite aggregated consumer complaints as evidence of widespread deceptive practices.
3. Policy changes: High volumes of complaints in specific categories influence FTC rulemaking.
4. Referrals: The FTC shares data with state attorneys general, who DO investigate individual complaints and can act faster.
For individual resolution, you should simultaneously:
- Contact your state Attorney General's consumer protection division
- File with the CFPB if it involves a financial product (cfpb.gov/complaint)
- File with the BBB (limited enforcement but creates public record)
- Consider small claims court if the amount warrants it
Combining an FTC Complaint with a Formal Demand Letter
The most effective consumer strategy combines both:
1. Send a formal demand letter to the company giving them a chance to resolve it
2. File an FTC complaint so your experience is on record
3. Mention in your demand letter that you have filed or will file an FTC/AG complaint
Mentioning regulatory complaints in a demand letter often accelerates resolution — companies don't want regulators looking at them.
Generate a Formal Demand Letter →
Other Agencies to Report To
Depending on your issue, additional agencies may be more effective:
| Bank/credit card fraud | CFPB (cfpb.gov/complaint) |
| Securities fraud | SEC (sec.gov/tcr) |
| Insurance fraud | State insurance commissioner |
| Healthcare fraud | HHS OIG (oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud) |
| Airline issues | DOT (airconsumer.dot.gov) |
| Internet/cyber crime | IC3 (ic3.gov) |
| Identity theft | FTC IdentityTheft.gov |
| Telemarketing | FTC ReportFraud.ftc.gov |
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the FTC contact me after I file?
Rarely. The FTC does not investigate individual complaints, so you typically won't receive personal follow-up. You'll get a confirmation email with a reference number.
Can I get money back from an FTC complaint?
Sometimes. When the FTC wins major enforcement actions, it distributes refunds to consumers who were harmed. You can check ftc.gov/refunds to see if there's a case you qualify for.
How long does it take for the FTC to act on complaints?
Major enforcement actions can take years. Individual complaints are data points, not triggers for immediate action. For faster individual resolution, contact your state AG.
Is my FTC complaint public?
No. Individual complaints are kept confidential. The FTC only publishes aggregated data and the outcomes of enforcement actions.
Related Resources
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