The Attorney General enforces state and federal consumer protection laws, keeping Virginians safe from things like identity theft, consumer fraud and telemarketing scams, and enforces antitrust laws that protect businesses and consumers from behavior that defeats healthy competition. The Attorney General also provides consumer alerts and educational materials that are designed to increase consumer awareness of scams, and help our citizens, particularly our seniors, protect themselves. When there is a pattern of deception or other wrongdoing, the Attorney General is authorized to take action to stop the illegal conduct, and, where appropriate, seek refunds for affected consumers.
Click here for the Virginia Consumer Guide
Click here for the Top 10 Scams Reported to Attorney General McDonnell.
Mortage Foreclosure Prevention Tips
Although individual complaints play an important role in notifying the Attorney General about possibly deceptive or otherwise illegal practices taking place in Virginia, which can lead to enforcement actions or legislative initiatives, the Attorney General’s office is not the central clearinghouse for consumer complaints in Virginia. The Virginia Office of Consumer Affairs, within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, serves this role. As a result, most consumer complaints we receive are referred initially to other state and federal agencies for investigation and/or dispute resolution handling (e.g., mediation). To speed up the process, consumers may wish to contact those agencies directly. For information on where particular types of complaints should be filed, please click on the "Where to File Complaints" link below for agency contact information.
Attorney General McDonnell encourages you to protect yourself by checking your credit at least every year. Federal law requires that each of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) provide one free credit report per year to individuals upon request. Click here to order your free credit report from each of the three bureaus. AnnualCreditReport.com is the only secure online credit reporting service recommended by the Federal Trade Commission, and the only one sponsored by all three consumer credit agencies.
- Consumer Alert of the Month
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Where to File Complaints
- Seniors (TRIAD)
- Consumer Fraud
- Medicaid Fraud
- Identity Theft
- SPAM/Technology Crimes
