Attorney General Dana Nessel is committed to protecting and serving the people and interests of Michigan through a broad range of initiatives which include protecting against Elder Abuse, Human Trafficking, Robocalls, Hate Crimes, Identity Theft, Payroll Fraud, and more.
The Consumer Protection team helps protect Michigan residents from bad actors who have one primary goal: to trick us out of our hard-earned money. As technology advances, they get more creative with their approach. They prey on anyone vulnerable - especially seniors.
Consumer Protection handles 10,000 consumer complaints each year, provides numerous educational resources online, and issues consumer alerts on scams, data breaches and any other consumer-related issue our residents should be aware of.
T-Mobile reports that the breach happened between November 25, 2022 and January 5, 2023 and may have exposed information including names, billing addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, T-Mobile account number, number of lines on the account and service plan features. T-Mobile believes that no passwords, payment card information, social security numbers or other financial account information was accessed. The impact of this breach is currently undetermined.
Consumers should remain vigilant for suspicious emails, texts, or phone calls in the wake of this data breach.
Cryptocurrency is a form of digital cash or currency, which allows users to transact directly with each other without needing banks or governmental regulations.
To learn more about cryptocurrencies and the additional risks of using a cryptocurrency exchange for your investments, read the following Michigan Attorney General consumer alerts:
On December 15, 2022, Hope College reported a massive data breach to the Michigan Attorney General’s office, after they discovered an unauthorized party has gained access to their confidential files. In addition to full names, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, driver's license and student identification numbers may have been compromised.
For more information on what to do following a data breach, review the Attorney General alert Data Breaches: What to do Next.
The Consumer Protection Act applies to goods and services leased or purchased for personal, family and household purposes; prohibits price gouging, failing to reveal facts material to a sale, misrepresenting the source or geographic origin of goods or services, and many other unfair and deceptive business practices; and gives the Attorney General the power to investigate and the authority to sue.
To report a scam, file a complaint or get additional information, contact the Michigan Department of Attorney General:
Consumer Protection
P.O. Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
517-335-7599
Fax: 517-241-3771
Toll free: 877-765-8388
Online complaint form
The Attorney General’s office helps consumers by informally mediating complaints. In many cases, this assistance will help you resolve your problem. However, if our mediation is not successful, the Attorney General cannot act as a private attorney on your behalf.
Our mediation process includes a letter from our Consumer Protection Division to the business or individual identified in your complaint. A copy of your complaint and submitted materials will be included with a request for a response.
We will contact you in writing after we have received a reply. If we do not hear back from the business or individual identified in your complaint within 30 days, we will recontact them regarding your complaint.
In some cases, we may be unable to get any cooperation from the business or individual. If they refuse to respond, we will confirm this to you in writing. You may then want to consider filing suit in Small Claims Court or consulting with a private attorney to review your legal options.
Scammers have one goal: to get your personal -- especially financial -- information. Scams will always include one or more of the following tactics:
If your phone number has been registered on the Do Not Call Registry for 31 days or more, you are encouraged to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Report a Do Not Call Registry violation online or call 888-382-1222.
For more information on how to protect yourself from telemarketing fraud, please see the Attorney General's Consumer Alert entitled "Robocall and Telemarketing Fraud."
No, but because Michigan law defines a “new car” to include a car still “covered by a manufacturer’s express warranty at the time of purchase or lease,” it could apply to a used car that meets that criteria.
Otherwise, if you purchased your vehicle from a used car dealer, contact the Bureau of Information Security, Regulatory Monitoring Division at 888-767-6424 regarding a used vehicle complaint.
Call the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection division toll-free at 877-765-8388. When you call, you will speak to one of our Complaint Specialists. If you give them the name of the business, and any other identifying information you have (such as an address or phone number), our Complaint Specialists can provide the number of complaints.
Specific information about the complaints, including what the complaints are about and how they were resolved, will have to be submitted to our FOIA section.
You can also check online to see if the Better Business Bureau has any complaints on file regarding a company.
To minimize telemarketing calls to your home, join the Federal Do Not Call Registry. If you have an active e-mail account, you may register online. To register by phone, dial 888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to place on the Do Not Call Registry.
Registrations should stop most (but not all) telemarketing calls within 30 days of registration and need not be renewed.
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