How do I report a financial scam to the CFPB in the US?
File a complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. The CFPB handles complaints about banks, lenders, credit bureaus, and financial services companies — particularly useful for student loan, mortgage, and debt collection fraud.
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Explanation
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a US federal agency that supervises consumer financial products and services. While the FTC has broader fraud jurisdiction, the CFPB has specific authority over banks, credit unions, lenders, mortgage servicers, debt collectors, credit reporting agencies, and student loan servicers. If a financial institution or financial service provider mistreated you in connection with a scam, the CFPB may be the better reporting channel.
File a complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Choose the financial product or company type from the menu, describe what happened, and include dates and amounts. The CFPB forwards complaints to the company for a response, typically within 15 days. You can track the status of your complaint online. The CFPB also publishes complaint data, which creates public accountability for firms.
The CFPB has taken major enforcement actions against companies that facilitated fraud, particularly student loan relief scammers, payday lenders using deceptive practices, and debt collectors violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Filing with the CFPB and the FTC together maximises the chance of enforcement attention.
If your bank or lender failed to protect you from a fraud that their systems should have detected, the CFPB's supervisory authority means they can require the institution to explain its practices.
Common red flags
- A lender used deceptive marketing to sell you a financial product
- A debt collector threatened you with false legal action
- A student loan servicer misapplied your payments or gave inaccurate information
- A credit reporting agency refused to remove fraudulent accounts after your dispute
- A mortgage servicer charged unauthorised fees or force-placed expensive insurance
What to do now
- File at consumerfinance.gov/complaint
- Also report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- Contact your state attorney general for local enforcement
- Gather all account statements and correspondence as evidence
- Track your CFPB complaint status online
- See /scams/finance-scams for relevant fraud patterns
Frequently asked questions
Does the CFPB handle cryptocurrency complaints?
The CFPB has jurisdiction over some crypto products marketed as financial services or used by financial institutions. For pure cryptocurrency fraud, the FTC and CFTC are more appropriate. Report to both if you are unsure.
Will the company I complain about know it came from me?
Yes. The CFPB forwards your complaint to the company to investigate, and the company will know the complaint was filed. Your complaint narrative may be published in the CFPB's public database, but personal identifying information is redacted.