How to report a scam in California

Scammed? Call your bank or card company first. Calling quickly may improve the chance of stopping a payment, but recovery isn't guaranteed. Then use the list below.

Who to report to in California

California Attorney General. The Public Inquiry Unit takes calls at (800) 952-5225, toll free in California, or (916) 210-6276. File a Complaint Against Business. The AG says to check its complaint referral table first, because some businesses have their own state regulator. If you think a business committed a crime, the AG also suggests telling your local district attorney.
Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI). California's securities and financial regulator. Covers investment advisers, crypto, lenders, debt collectors, and money transmitters. Phone: 1-866-275-2677. Submit a complaint.
California Department of Insurance, Fraud Division. Consumer hotline: 800-927-4357. Fraud Division main line: 916-854-5760. Email: [email protected]. Contact page.
California Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation. The AG's statewide criminal investigators. Bureau of Investigation. For most scams, file a report with your city police or county sheriff.
Adult Protective Services. Call 1-833-401-0832 and enter your five-digit ZIP code to reach your county APS office. APS page.

Phone numbers and links last verified Oct. 20, 2026. Check the agency's official contact page before calling.

Federal places to report (all states)

FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov for most scams.
FBI IC3: ic3.gov for online scams, crypto, and email payment scams.
Identity theft: IdentityTheft.gov gives you a recovery plan.

California scam numbers

FBI, 2025. No state reported more internet crime to the FBI than California. Its residents sent 116,414 complaints to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and reported $3,674,716,305 lost, both 1st in the nation. Adjusted for population, California was 13th, at 295.8 complaints per 100,000 people. (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Internet Crime Report, state data appendix)

Crypto, 2025. California also led on crypto: 20,878 complaints and $2,099,014,715 in losses. (FBI IC3, 2025.)

Older adults, 2025. Californians age 60 and up filed 22,157 complaints and lost $1,403,975,911, the most of any state. (FBI IC3, 2025.)

FTC, 2024. California had 506,727 fraud and other reports to the FTC. Reported fraud losses were $1.68 billion, and the median (middle) loss was $542. California ranked 17th of 50 states for reports per 100,000 people (1,291). It also had 139,665 identity theft reports, ranking 7th. The top three report types were identity theft (22%), credit bureaus (20%), and imposter scams (11%). (FTC, Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024)

These numbers only count people who reported. Many people don't, so real losses are likely higher. FTC figures come from unverified consumer reports, not a survey.

Scams California officials are warning about

Crypto scams. In October 2026, the Attorney General put out new tips and recovery resources on crypto scams. The alert says these scams use the same tricks as gift card and cash fraud, but crypto moves faster and is harder to get back. (AG press release, Oct. 19, 2026)
Fake court notices. In March 2026, the Attorney General warned about texts and emails that claim you owe a traffic or toll fine to a California court. The AG says courts won't text, call, or email you to ask for money. Don't scan the QR code or click the link. (AG consumer alert, March 30, 2026)

What to do right now

Stop all contact. Courts don't text or email asking for money, so don't pay a "court notice."
Call your bank or card company and ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed.
Change passwords on any account the scammer touched, and turn on two-step login.
Save proof: screenshots, texts, emails, call logs, receipts, and phone numbers.
Report it to the state agency listed above, plus the FTC or IC3.
Beware of "recovery" offers. A request for a fee to get your money back is a common warning sign of a recovery scam.

Nearby states

Learn more

Common questions

Who do I report a scam to in California?

Call your bank first if money left your account. Then file a Complaint Against Business with the California Attorney General (Public Inquiry Unit: 800-952-5225 toll free in California), and report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Who handles crypto and investment scams in California?

The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI). It covers investment advisers, broker-dealers, money transmitters, and digital currency. Submit a complaint online or call 1-866-275-2677.

How do I report elder financial abuse in California?

Call the statewide Adult Protective Services line at 1-833-401-0832 and enter your ZIP code when asked. It connects you to the APS office in your county. If someone is in danger now, call 911.

Last checked October 2026. Phone numbers and links come from each agency's official website. Agencies change them, so check the agency's site if something doesn't work. FraudMeNot is an independent publisher. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any government agency listed here. Links go to official sites. We can't take reports or get your money back. General education only, not legal, financial, tax or security advice. No guarantee. Consult a qualified professional. Stories may be dramatized or composite; see each label. See our disclaimer. Found an error? Tell us.