How to Report a Business: Agencies, Evidence, and Deadlines

To report a business, match the type of misconduct to the federal or state agency with authority over it, then file through that agency’s online portal with dates, names, and documents in hand. Consumer scams go to the Federal Trade Commission. Unsafe working conditions go to OSHA. Unpaid wages go to the Department of Labor. Mortgage, credit card, and debt collection problems go to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Securities fraud goes to the SEC. Pollution goes to the EPA. Local unfair trade practices go to your state attorney general. Filing with the wrong agency is the most common reason a complaint stalls, so the matching step matters more than the writing.

Which Agency Handles What

Each federal agency has a defined scope. Pick the one whose authority covers your situation.

Federal Trade Commission. Deceptive advertising, telemarketing fraud, scams, and unfair business practices. The FTC is authorized to prevent unfair or deceptive acts affecting commerce. Identity theft has its own portal at IdentityTheft.gov.¹²
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Chemical exposure, fall hazards, mechanical dangers, and other unsafe working conditions. OSHA can issue civil penalties of up to $16,550 per serious violation and $165,514 for willful or repeated violations, adjusted annually for inflation.³
Department of Labor. Minimum wage, overtime, recordkeeping, and child labor violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Wage and Hour Division investigates and can sue to recover back wages on your behalf.⁴⁵
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Mortgages, credit cards, student loans, debt collection, and credit reporting. The CFPB forwards your complaint to the company and works to get you a response, generally within 15 days.⁶
Securities and Exchange Commission. Securities fraud, insider trading, market manipulation, and Ponzi schemes.⁷
Environmental Protection Agency. Illegal dumping, pollution, and hazardous waste violations.⁸

Every state attorney general also runs a consumer protection office that handles local business fraud and violations of state consumer protection laws. These offices can pursue litigation, seek restitution, and impose civil fines. Search your state attorney general’s website for “file a complaint” to find the portal.

The Better Business Bureau accepts complaints and may prompt a business to respond, but it has no legal enforcement power and cannot impose penalties.

Evidence to Gather Before You File

A well-documented complaint is far more likely to move past the intake queue. Start with the business’s full legal name, which may differ from its public brand, along with the physical address, website, and specific location involved. Note exact dates and times, and the names of anyone you spoke with.

What you attach depends on the type of misconduct:

Consumer fraud or deceptive practices: contracts, receipts, screenshots of misleading ads, and email or text exchanges.
Workplace safety hazards: photos or video of the condition, the number of workers exposed, and any internal complaints you already filed.
Wage and hour violations: pay stubs, time records, your employment agreement, and any written communication about pay or schedule.
Financial product abuse: account statements, loan documents, correspondence with the lender or servicer, and records of unauthorized charges.

Put everything in chronological order. If you lost money, calculate the exact dollar amount. Agencies use those figures to gauge severity and prioritize cases. Submit copies and keep originals.

How to Submit

Most agencies accept complaints entirely online through their own portals.

FTC

ReportFraud.ftc.gov walks you through describing the incident, offers guidance on protecting yourself, and submits the report.⁹ The FTC does not resolve individual disputes. Your report feeds the Consumer Sentinel database, which the FTC and other law enforcement use to identify patterns and build enforcement cases.

OSHA

Use the online Complaint Form (OSHA-7) to describe the hazard, the number of workers affected, and how long the condition has existed.¹⁰ OSHA uses this information to decide whether to schedule an on-site inspection.¹¹ You can also call your nearest OSHA area office or mail the completed form.

CFPB

Start a complaint at the CFPB’s site by describing your issue with a financial product or service.⁶ The CFPB forwards it to the company and tracks the response. Written complaints can be mailed to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, PO Box 27170, Washington, DC 20038.

SEC

The SEC’s Tips, Complaints, and Referrals form covers securities fraud, insider trading, market manipulation, and Ponzi schemes.⁷

For sensitive documents, certified mail with a return receipt gives you a verified record of when the agency received the complaint.

Deadlines That Can Cost You Your Rights

Some complaints have hard filing deadlines.

OSHA retaliation: 30 days from the retaliatory act to file with the Secretary of Labor.¹²
Other whistleblower retaliation: deadlines range from 30 to 180 days depending on which statute applies.¹³
FLSA wage claims: two years from the violation, or three years if the violation was willful.¹⁴
SEC whistleblower awards: 90 calendar days from the Notice of Covered Action to apply.¹⁵

General FTC and state consumer complaints typically have no strict deadline, but earlier reports mean fresher evidence and a better chance of stopping the business before it harms more people.

What Happens After You File

You should receive a confirmation, tracking number, or case reference. Save it. Most agencies let you check status online with that identifier. Initial review can take several weeks. If your complaint warrants deeper review, an investigator may contact you for an interview or more documents. OSHA may schedule an on-site inspection. The CFPB expects the company to respond directly, and you can review that response through the portal.

Agencies generally do not treat individual complaints as a personal dispute resolution service. Your report becomes part of a pattern the agency uses to build enforcement cases. A single report may not trigger immediate action, but it contributes to the record that eventually does.

Rewards for Certain Reports

Several federal programs pay a percentage of what the government recovers based on your information.

False Claims Act

If a business defrauds the federal government (inflated invoices, false billing, and similar schemes), you can file a qui tam lawsuit under the False Claims Act. If the government joins and recovers money, you receive between 15 and 25 percent of the proceeds. If the government declines to join and you pursue the case successfully on your own, the share rises to between 25 and 30 percent.¹⁶

SEC Whistleblower Program

The SEC pays awards of 10 to 30 percent of money collected in enforcement actions where monetary sanctions exceed $1 million.¹⁵ You must voluntarily provide original information that leads to a successful enforcement action.⁷

IRS Whistleblower Program

The IRS pays 15 to 30 percent of collected proceeds when your tip leads to a successful recovery. For a mandatory award, the tax, penalties, and interest in dispute must exceed $2 million, and if the taxpayer is an individual, their gross income must exceed $200,000 in at least one relevant year.¹⁷ Smaller claims can still receive a discretionary award. File on IRS Form 211 with specific, timely, and credible information about tax noncompliance.

Protection Against Retaliation

Federal law bars employers from firing, demoting, or otherwise punishing you for reporting misconduct. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, if you are retaliated against for filing a complaint, participating in an investigation, or exercising any right under the Act, you must file with the Secretary of Labor within 30 days. The Secretary investigates and, if a violation is confirmed, can bring a federal court action to have you reinstated with back pay.¹² The Secretary is required to notify you of the determination within 90 days.

OSHA alone administers whistleblower protections under more than 20 federal laws, with filing deadlines ranging from 30 to 180 days depending on the statute.¹³ If you are unsure which law applies, OSHA’s whistleblower protection program can identify the right avenue.

You can request confidentiality with many agencies. When submitting a safety complaint to OSHA, for example, you can ask that your name not be shared with your employer.

What Not to Do

Knowingly filing a false report is a federal crime. A materially false statement to a federal agency can bring a fine and up to five years in prison.¹⁸ The OSHA complaint form warns that false statements under the Occupational Safety and Health Act can bring a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both.¹⁰

These penalties apply only to intentionally false reports. You do not need certainty that a violation occurred; agencies expect reports based on reasonable belief. The line is between a good-faith report that turns out unfounded and a fabricated complaint meant to harm someone.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 45 – Unfair Methods of Competition Unlawful
2
Federal Trade Commission. IdentityTheft.gov
3
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 2025 Annual Adjustments to OSHA Civil Penalties
4
U.S. Department of Labor. Wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act
5
U.S. Department of Labor. Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor – Enforcement Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
6
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Contact Us
7
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Submit a Tip or Complaint
8
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Report a Violation
9
Federal Trade Commission. ReportFraud.ftc.gov
10
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA Online Complaint Form
11
Federal Register. Notice of Alleged Safety and Health Hazards (OSHA-7 Form)
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 660 – Judicial Review
13
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. File a Complaint
14
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 255 – Statute of Limitations
15
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Whistleblower Program – Notices of Covered Action
16
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 3730 – Civil Actions for False Claims
17
Internal Revenue Service. Submit a Whistleblower Claim for Award
18
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally