File a Consumer, Scam or Civil Rights Complaint With the PA Attorney General

There is a separate form for each kind of problem:

• Consumer complaints, if you had a problem with a business, product or service or believe you were treated unfairly. This form is offered in English and in Spanish.
• Aviation complaints, for flight delays, cancellations, baggage issues or other airline service problems.
• Antitrust complaints, for suspected unlawful business practices that limit competition, such as price fixing, bid rigging or monopolistic conduct.
• Do Not Call complaints, for unwanted telemarketing calls. You can also register your number on Pennsylvania's Do Not Call List, or verify your number before filing a complaint.
• Scam complaints, if you believe you were targeted by a scam, fraud or suspicious activity.
• Charitable trusts complaints, to report concerns about a charity's conduct or fundraising practices.
• Healthcare complaints, to report concerns about health care providers or services, including fraud, billing issues or unethical conduct.
• Medicaid complaints, for suspected Medicaid provider fraud such as false billing by a doctor, billing for services that were not actually provided, or other misuse of Medicaid funds by a medical provider.
• Insurance fraud complaints, with a private citizen form if you suspect someone is committing insurance fraud and a separate industry form for a business or insurance professional reporting another company.
• Civil rights complaints, for unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, education or public accommodations.
• Fair labor complaints, if you believe your employer violated wage, hour or workplace labor laws.
• Elder abuse complaints, if you suspect an older adult is being abused, neglected or exploited.

There are two ways to file: submit a complaint online, or print out the form and send it in to the office. The more information you provide, the better the office can help you. All of the forms are listed at attorneygeneral.gov/submit-a-complaint.

For a consumer complaint, the online form asks for your name, address, county, phone number and the details of what happened, when and where, along with the business name and address and what you want the business to do. You can upload your contract, proof of payment, emails or screenshots; accepted file types are jpg, gif, png and pdf. If you do not have a scanner, you can upload a photo of the documents, or email them to BCPAdmin@attorneygeneral.gov. There are also print forms to mail, including Cambodian, Korean, Simple Chinese and Vietnamese versions. Mailed documents go to the Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 15th Floor, Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, PA 17120.

Before filing, the office suggests gathering your records, such as sales receipts, warranties, contracts, repair orders and canceled checks, and first contacting the person who sold you the item or performed the service, then a supervisor or manager if that does not work. A large percentage of consumer problems are resolved at that level. If you have exhausted your efforts without success, the office encourages you to file a formal complaint as soon as possible.

What happens next: staff review your complaint. The Bureau of Consumer Protection receives more than 20,000 complaints per year, so it may take some time before the review is thorough, and the office asks for your patience. Your complaint may be referred to a local consumer group or another state or federal agency, and you will be notified by mail of the name and address of that agency. If it is appropriate for this office, the Consumer Mediation Unit will attempt to mediate the dispute; you will get a letter with your complaint file number, and an agent will contact you and the business. Most contact is by letter. If mediation does not succeed, you may be advised to seek relief through a private attorney or small claims court. When there is a compelling public interest or many complaints against the same business, the Bureau may file a lawsuit on behalf of consumers. You do not need to call to check your status; you will be notified by mail when there is information about your case, and the office asks consumers not to call for status reports, though it welcomes new information about your complaint.

Know the limits. The Attorney General cannot act as your private attorney and cannot give specific legal advice to individuals. The information you provide will be shared with the party you complained about, and your complaint may be shared with or referred to other law enforcement or regulatory agencies. For legal advice, the office suggests a private attorney, your county lawyer referral service or your county bar association; the Pennsylvania Bar Association, toll free 1-800-692-7375, offers county lawyer referral offices. The office also has jurisdictional limitations: for something like a complaint about a federal government action or order, it suggests also contacting your U.S. Senator or Representative.

For general questions, the office's main number is 717-787-3391. The office also publishes helplines by topic, including Consumer Protection at 800-441-2555, Health Care at 877-888-4877, Senior Protection at 866-623-2137 and Do Not Call at 888-777-3406.

The page does not say whether there is any cost to file.

Source: attorneygeneral.gov/submit-a-complaint, read November 2, 2026.

The details

In Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s words

The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General receives more than 50,000 complaints and referrals each year, which allows us to fight on your behalf.

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