Lookup tools
14 official places to look.
Federal cases and refunds, investment and trading registration, your state, and financial complaints.
Federal cases, reports and refunds
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FTC Cases and Proceedings
Search the cases the FTC has brought in federal court or through its own administrative process, with case summaries, complaints, orders and timelines.
Cost: No fee listed; public website.
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ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Report a scam or bad business practice to the FTC. Reports go into the Consumer Sentinel Network, which local, state and federal law enforcement can use.
Cost: No fee listed.
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FTC Refund Programs
See every active FTC refund program, when payments went out, and the phone number for each refund administrator.
Cost: Free; the FTC never requires payment to get a refund.
Trading, investing and crypto
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Investor.gov: Check Out Your Investment Professional
Type in a name to see whether an investment professional or firm is registered with the SEC, a state or FINRA, and whether they have any disciplinary history.
Cost: Free.
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FINRA BrokerCheck
Research the background of brokers, brokerage firms and investment adviser firms, including registration history, the past 10 years of employment, licenses, customer disputes and disciplinary events.
Cost: Free.
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NFA BASIC
Research the background of derivatives industry firms and professionals, including whether they're registered with the CFTC and any disciplinary or regulatory history.
Cost: Free.
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CFTC RED (Registration Deficient) List
A list of foreign firms that appear to be doing business that requires CFTC registration but aren't registered. Being on the list isn't a finding that the firm broke the law.
Cost: No fee listed; public website.
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SEC Litigation Releases
Browse releases about civil actions the SEC has brought in federal court, filtered by year and month.
Cost: No fee listed; public website.
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SEC Action Lookup - Individuals (SALI)
Look up individuals named in SEC court actions or administrative proceedings where a judgment or order was entered. It covers actions filed from October 1, 1995 through January 31, 2025, and doesn't include cases still pending in trial court.
Cost: No fee listed; public website.
Your state
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USA.gov: State attorneys general
Pick your state or territory to find its attorney general, the top legal officer there.
Cost: No fee listed; public website.
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NAAG: Find My AG
A directory with profiles of the attorney general for every state, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories.
Cost: No fee listed; public website.
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USA.gov: State consumer protection offices
Find your state's consumer protection office, which can help with complaints against businesses and investigate scams and fraud.
Cost: No fee listed; public website.
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SBA: State registration lookup
Pick your state or territory to get the website of the office where businesses register there, such as the Secretary of State.
Cost: No fee listed for the lookup.
Financial products
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CFPB Consumer Complaint Database
Search complaints about financial products and services and see how companies responded. It isn't a statistical sample, and a low number of complaints doesn't necessarily mean there's no harm.
Cost: Free; the CFPB says its complaint data is freely available.