How to report a scam in District of Columbia

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 Washington, D.C.

D.C. Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection. Phone: 202-442-9828. Submit a consumer complaint.
Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB). D.C.'s regulator for investments, insurance, banks, and lenders. Phone: 202-727-8000. Email: [email protected]. File a complaint or report fraud.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). D.C. has no state police, so MPD handles local crime reports. mpdc.dc.gov.
Adult Protective Services. Phone: 202-541-3950. 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.

D.C. scam numbers

FBI, 2025. D.C. had the highest rate of internet crime complaints in the country: 448.8 for every 100,000 residents, ranked 1st. In total, D.C. residents sent the FBI's IC3 3,113 complaints and reported $97,368,097 in losses. (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Internet Crime Report, state data appendix)

Crypto, 2025. D.C. residents filed 448 crypto complaints and lost $37,013,584. (FBI IC3 figures.)

Older adults, 2025. Residents 60 and older reported 382 complaints and $10,077,243 in losses. (FBI IC3 figures.)

FTC, 2024. D.C. had 16,860 fraud and other reports to the FTC. Reported fraud losses were $30.4 million, and the median (middle) loss was $448. That's 2,509 reports per 100,000 people. The FTC lists D.C. but doesn't rank it with the 50 states. It also had 3,225 identity theft reports (not ranked). The top three report types were credit bureaus (23%), identity theft (16%), 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 D.C. officials are warning about

Gift card "draining." In December 2025, the Attorney General warned holiday shoppers about gift cards that crooks tamper with in the store, then drain once someone loads money on them. The alert covers common tricks, how to spot a tampered card, and what to do if you think you were scammed. (OAG consumer alert, Dec. 15, 2025)
Deepfake calls from "family." In April 2025, the Attorney General warned about scammers using AI-made voices or videos of people you know, asking for money to get out of an emergency. The office said seniors are often targeted. (OAG consumer alert, April 18, 2025)

What to do right now

Stop all contact. Hang up on any "relative" asking for emergency money, then call them back on a number you know.
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 Washington, D.C.?

Call your bank first if money left your account. Then report to the D.C. Office of the Attorney General at 202-442-9828 or online, and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Who handles insurance, investment, and banking fraud in D.C.?

One agency covers all three: the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB). Call 202-727-8000 or email [email protected].

How do I report money theft from an older adult in D.C.?

Call D.C. Adult Protective Services at 202-541-3950. If someone is in danger right 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.