Who to contact when something goes wrong
Half the difficulty of dealing with an American institution is working out which one it is. Taxes are federal; landlord-tenant law is state. Consumer protection is split between the FTC, the CFPB and fifty attorneys general. This page maps the problem to the body that can actually do something about it — and says plainly what each one cannot do.
Short answer
For anything life-threatening, call 911. For a mental health crisis, 988. For taxes, the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. For Social Security, 1-800-772-1213. For a bank, lender or debt collector, file with the CFPB. For fraud, report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and freeze your credit — freezes are free.
The order that works
Step 1
Go to the company or agency first
Almost every regulator will ask whether you tried. Put it in writing, keep the confirmation number, and set a deadline. For financial companies, this also starts the clock that makes a CFPB complaint effective.
Step 2
Escalate to the federal regulator or state AG
The CFPB requires companies to respond, usually within 15 days, and publishes the complaint. State attorneys general mediate individual disputes and carry weight a customer letter does not.
Step 3
Only then, small claims court
Every state has a small claims track with low filing fees, no lawyers required and limits typically between $2,500 and $25,000 depending on the state. It is cheap but it is a formal legal step.
Emergency and urgent help
If life is in immediate danger, none of the rest of this page matters. 911 is free from any phone, including a locked cell phone with no service plan.
Free, confidential support for anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, and for people worried about someone else. Call, text or chat.
24/7
Something swallowed, inhaled, splashed in an eye, or a suspected overdose. One number covers the whole country and routes to your local center.
24/7
Confidential support for anyone experiencing domestic abuse, and for friends and family. Call, text START to 88788, or chat online.
24/7
Free, confidential treatment referral for mental health and substance use, including for people with no insurance.
24/7
Federal disaster assistance after a declared disaster — housing, repairs and other needs assistance.
Federal government services
Social Security, taxes, immigration, passports and Medicare are federal, so the same number works in every state.
Social Security numbers and cards, retirement and disability benefits, and correcting your earnings record.
Weekdays
Independent organization inside the IRS that helps when normal channels have failed or a tax problem is causing financial hardship. Free.
Green cards, work authorization, naturalization and case status for immigration benefits.
Weekdays
Enrollment, coverage questions, plan comparison and appeals for people 65+ and some younger people with disabilities.
24/7
Enrolling in a Marketplace health plan, checking subsidy eligibility and reporting life changes.
24/7
The federal government's front door — finds the right agency for almost any question, federal or state.
Money, credit and debt
Federal regulators take individual complaints seriously here, and the CFPB in particular gets responses from companies that ignore customers.
Complaints about banks, credit cards, mortgages, student loans, debt collectors and credit reporting. Companies must respond, usually within 15 days, and the complaint becomes part of a public database.
Weekdays
The only federally authorized source for free credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Free weekly reports.
Free credit freeze. Federal law makes freezes and unfreezes free at all three bureaus. Freeze all three.
Free credit freeze at the second of the three nationwide bureaus.
Nonprofit credit counseling agencies offering free or low-cost budget review and debt management plans.
Work and wages
Most employment protection is federal but enforced through agencies with strict filing deadlines. Missing a deadline usually ends the claim.
Unpaid minimum wage, unpaid overtime, illegal deductions and FMLA violations. Complaints are free and can be made regardless of immigration status.
Weekdays
Workplace discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information. Strict filing deadline — often 180 or 300 days.
Weekdays
Unsafe working conditions. You can file a complaint and request an inspection, and retaliation for doing so is unlawful.
24/7
Retaliation for organizing, discussing pay with coworkers or acting together to improve conditions — protected whether or not you have a union.
State wage claims are often faster and cover more than federal law — several states have higher minimum wages, paid sick leave and stronger protections.
Consumer problems and complaints
There is no single US consumer regulator. The FTC takes reports on fraud, the CFPB handles money, and your state attorney general handles almost everything else.
The national reporting channel for fraud, scams and bad business practices. Reports feed enforcement; the FTC does not resolve individual disputes.
The main consumer protection office in every state. Many mediate individual complaints, and a letter from a state AG gets responses a customer letter does not.
Report an unsafe product or check recalls before buying used goods, especially cribs, car seats and heaters.
Phone, internet, TV and robocall complaints. The FCC forwards complaints to the provider, which must respond.
Mail fraud, mail theft and identity theft involving the mail — a federal law enforcement agency with real investigative powers.
Scams, fraud and identity theft
Speed matters more than anything else. Call your bank first, then freeze your credit — freezes are free by federal law and are the single most effective protection.
The first call, always. Ask them to attempt a recall or stop payment, block the payee and secure the account. The number is on the back of your card and in your banking app.
24/7 at most large banks
The FTC's identity theft recovery service. Generates a personalized recovery plan, pre-filled letters and an official FTC Identity Theft Report that creditors must accept.
Report internet-enabled crime, including business email compromise and investment fraud. IC3's Recovery Asset Team can sometimes freeze wire transfers if reported within 72 hours.
Free by federal law, and the strongest protection available. A freeze blocks new credit being opened in your name entirely. Do all three: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
If someone filed a tax return using your Social Security number, or your SSN was exposed. You can also request an Identity Protection PIN.
Report Social Security number misuse or fraud involving Social Security benefits.
Housing and legal help
Civil legal aid is means-tested and chronically oversubscribed, but it exists in every state, and fair housing complaints are handled federally.
Directory of free civil legal aid programs by state, covering housing, family, benefits and consumer matters.
Complaints under the Fair Housing Act about discrimination in renting, buying or lending based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability.
Free or low-cost counseling on renting, buying, foreclosure prevention and homelessness — approved agencies in every state.
The largest funder of civil legal aid in the US; its site locates the funded program serving your area.
Sources & provenance
Facts verified
- 1.911 and E911 services RegulatorFederal Communications CommissionUsed for: Emergency calling requirements and access from any phone
- 2.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline OfficialSAMHSAUsed for: Crisis line number and channels
- 3.Contact Social Security OfficialSocial Security AdministrationUsed for: National toll-free number and hours
- 4.Let us help you OfficialInternal Revenue ServiceUsed for: Individual taxpayer assistance line
- 5.Submit a complaint RegulatorConsumer Financial Protection BureauUsed for: Complaint process and the requirement for companies to respond
- 6.What to know about credit freezes and fraud alerts RegulatorFederal Trade CommissionUsed for: Free credit freezes at all three nationwide bureaus
- 7.IdentityTheft.gov OfficialFederal Trade CommissionUsed for: Recovery plan and the FTC Identity Theft Report
- 8.Wage and Hour Division OfficialUS Department of LaborUsed for: Wage complaint route and that status does not bar a complaint
- 9.Filing a charge of discrimination RegulatorEqual Employment Opportunity CommissionUsed for: Filing deadlines of 180 or 300 days depending on state
- 10.Fair housing complaint OfficialDepartment of Housing and Urban DevelopmentUsed for: Fair Housing Act complaint process
Not a source — AI-assisted analysis on this page
- AI-assisted analysis — which body to try first, and in what order — The ordering advice on this page (bank before IdentityTheft.gov; freeze credit before anything else after an identity compromise; state attorney general rather than FTC for an individual dispute) is our reasoning about how these processes interact in practice. It is not a rule published by any of the agencies listed, and it does not override any specific instruction an agency gives you.
Phone numbers and scope descriptions on this page come from each agency's own contact page, listed above. Numbers change occasionally and hours change often; the link beside each entry goes to the page that publishes the current details. Many services differ by state — state attorneys general, labor departments, small claims limits and legal aid programs all vary. The escalation order — company, then regulator, then court — is our own framing of how these bodies interact, not a procedure any single agency publishes.
Facts on this page are taken from the sources listed above — U.S. federal agencies, state governments, regulators and official statistical releases. Comparisons, judgments and "which option suits whom" conclusions are AI-assisted analysis written over those sources; they are marked in the text and listed as an AI-analysis entry in the sources, not attributed to any authority. Rates, thresholds, fees and processing times change, often at the start of a calendar or tax year; figures are current as of the review date shown and should be confirmed with the responsible agency before you rely on them. A great deal of American law is state law — where a rule differs by state, this site says so.
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