Who Can You Complain to at the Federal Level?
A topic-by-topic list of federal agencies that deal with deceptive advertising.
Spot an ad that you think has issues? Want to complain to a federal agency? Here’s a topic-by-topic list of federal agencies that deal with deceptive advertising.
(Note that sometimes more than one agency deals with a certain type of advertisement or label, which can get confusing. When in doubt, it’s safest to complain to all the agencies listed for your particular topic.)
| TOPIC | AGENCY |
| AIRLINE | U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Aviation Consumer Protection 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE Washington, D.C. 20590 Phone: (202) 366-2220 https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint |
|
ALCOHOL (two agencies share jurisdiction over alcohol advertising and labeling) |
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) Market Compliance Office 1310 G Street, NW, Box 12 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: (202) 453-2251 E-mail: [email protected] Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Phone: (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357) reportfraud.ftc.gov |
| COSMETICS | Labeling:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advertising: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) |
| DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS | Labeling:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advertising: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) |
| DRUGS | |
| Prescription drugs | U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 10903 New Hampshire Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002 Phone: (888) INFO-FDA (463-6332) http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/default.htm |
| Over-the-counter drugs | Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Phone: (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357) reportfraud.ftc.gov |
| FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS | |
|
Credit card companies (two agencies share jurisdiction over credit card advertising, but the FTC does the lion’s share of the work) |
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Phone: (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357) reportfraud.ftc.gov Consumer Financial Protection Bureau PO Box 2900 Clinton, IA 52733-2900 Phone: (855) 411-CFPB (2372)/(855) 729-CFPB (2372) https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/ |
|
Credit unions (two agencies oversee credit ads by credit unions) |
National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Office of Inspector General P.O. Box 25705 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: (703) 518-6350/(800) 778-4806 E-mail: [email protected] https://www.ncua.gov/about-ncua/inspector-general/hotline Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Phone: (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357) reportfraud.ftc.gov |
|
Federal savings associations (two agencies oversee ads by federal savings associations) |
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) Customer Assistance Group 1301 McKinney Street, Suite 3450 Houston, TX 77010 Phone: (800) 613-6743 http://www.helpwithmybank.gov/complaints/index-file-a-bank-complaint.html Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Phone: (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357) reportfraud.ftc.gov |
| Investment companies | U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) 100 F Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20549 https://www.sec.gov/tcr For a list of phone numbers, click here. |
|
Mortgage brokers and Services (two agencies oversee ads for mortgage brokers and services) |
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Phone: (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357) reportfraud.ftc.gov Consumer Financial Protection Bureau PO Box 2900 Clinton, IA 52733-2900 Phone: (855) 411-CFPB (2372)/(855) 729-CFPB (2372) https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/ |
| National banks | Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) Customer Assistance Group 1301 McKinney Street, Suite 3450 Houston, TX 77010 Phone: (800) 613-6743 http://www.helpwithmybank.gov/complaints/index-file-a-bank-complaint.html |
| State-charted banks | Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Consumer Response Center 1100 Walnut St., Box #11 Kansas City, MO 64106 Phone: (877) 275-3342 https://ask.fdic.gov/FDICCustomerAssistanceForm/ |
| FOOD | |
| Meat and poultry | Labeling:
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Advertising: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) |
|
All food (except meat and poultry) |
Labeling:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advertising: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) |
|
INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES (there are three places you can complain to about ads by international companies) |
Econsumer.gov https://econsumer.gov/#crnt Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Phone: (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357) reportfraud.ftc.gov |
|
MAILED ADVERTISEMENTS (two agencies share jurisdiction over mailed ads) |
U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Service Center Attn: Mail Fraud 433 W. Harrison Street, Room 3255 Chicago, IL 60699-6100 Phone: (877) 876-2455 https://www.uspis.gov/report/ Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Phone: (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357) reportfraud.ftc.gov |
| MEDICAL DEVICES | |
| Restricted | Labeling and advertising:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) |
|
All medical devices (other than restricted) |
Labeling:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advertising: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) |
| ORGANIC CLAIMS IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS | NOP Compliance and Enforcement Branch Agricultural Marketing Service United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Mail Stop 0268, Room 2648-S Washington, D.C. 20250-0268 Phone: (202) 720-3252 E-mail: [email protected] https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/enforcement/organic/file-complaint |
| PESTICIDES | Labeling:
Environmental Protection Agency Advertising: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) |
|
SCHOLARSHIPS, GRANTS & STUDENT LOANS
(two agencies share jurisdiction over ads for scholarships, and grants, and three agencies share jurisdiction over ads for student loans) |
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Phone: (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357) reportfraud.ftc.gov U.S. Department of Education (ED) Office of Inspector General 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20202-1500 Phone: (800) MISUSED (647-8733) https://oig.ed.gov/oig-hotline Consumer Financial Protection Bureau PO Box 2900 Clinton, IA 52733-2900 Phone: (855) 411-CFPB (2372)/(855) 729-CFPB (2372) http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/ |
| SPAM/E-COMMERCE | |
|
General (two agencies share jurisdiction over spam ads, though the FTC seems to do most of the work) |
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Phone: (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357) reportfraud.ftc.gov Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) https://www.ic3.gov/ |
|
Spam sent to wireless devices, or spam from or regarding communications companies (two agencies share jurisdiction over spam ads sent to cell phones) |
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division 445 12th Street, SW Washington, D.C. 20554 Phone: (888) CALL-FCC (225-5322) https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx |
| TELECOMMUNICATIONS | |
| Fax | Complaints about substance of ad:
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Complaints about not wanting to receive the ad: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) |
| Radio | General:
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Certain ads (i.e., ads for tobacco products, ads that perpetuate a fraud, ads that promote certain lotteries, and obscene, indecent, or profane ads): Federal Communications Commission (FCC) |
| Telephone/telemarketing | Complaints about substance of ad:
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Complaints about Do-Not-Call Registry: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Complaints about telemarketing before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) |
| Television | General:
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Certain ads (i.e., ads for tobacco products, ads that perpetuate a fraud, ads that promote certain lotteries, and obscene, indecent, or profane ads): Federal Communications Commission (FCC) |
|
TOBACCO (several agencies oversee tobacco advertising and marketing, though the FDA and FTC seem to do the bulk of the work) |
Advertising and labeling:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Prohibition against lottery features and indecent, immoral picture, print, or representation on packages: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) Prohibition against ads on TV or radio: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Federal Trade Commission (FTC) |
|
EVERYTHING ELSE (not listed above) |
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20580 Phone: (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357) reportfraud.ftc.gov |
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