Scams, Fraud & Consumer Protection on Cape Cod

Investigates suspected fraud in state benefit programmes such as MassHealth and food assistance.

Free. Fraud line open during state office hours.

How to start

Call the fraud hotline or use the State Auditor's online benefit-fraud report

Address

One Ashburton Place, Room 1103, Boston, MA 02108 (main line 617-727-8638)

The bank's fraud team helps customers who think they've been scammed lock down accounts and report it, and it runs free public seminars on scams aimed at older adults.

Cost

Free

How to start

If you think you've been scammed, call right away. Lost or stolen card at any hour: 1-800-472-3272

Who qualifies

Account help is for customers; the scam seminars are open to everyone

Hours

Phone: Mon–Wed 8–4:30 · Thu–Fri 8–5:30 · Sat 8–1

For older adults

Free talks on scams aimed at older adults, held at Cape libraries and senior centers. Worried about a parent? Mass Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-888-243-5337.

Publishes plain scam warnings for anyone and takes 24-hour calls about card fraud or a compromised account.

The guidance is free to anyone; account help needs you to be a customer.

Office

Hyannis

Cost

Free

How to start

For a lost or stolen card or fraud on your account, call 888-225-4636 any time, day or night

Hours

Fraud and lost-card line 24/7; customer service Mon–Fri 7am–11pm, Sat 7–5, Sun and holidays 9–5

Who qualifies

Scam tips are open to anyone; account and card help is for Cape Cod 5 customers

For older adults

Fraud alerts come by text from a 6-digit short code, and the bank says it will never ask for your full account number, PIN or password.

Nonprofit that mediates complaints against businesses and advises on scams, contracts and small claims.

Free. Phones weekdays 9am–3pm. Now at 444 Waquoit Highway, East Falmouth.

Office

East Falmouth

Cost

Free

How to start

Call during phone hours to talk a complaint through with a trained volunteer counselor

Hours

Mon–Fri 9–3

Address

444 Waquoit Hwy, Suite 5, East Falmouth, MA 02536

Service area

Cape Cod and the Islands

For older adults

Offers free talks for community groups on identity theft and online scams.

The FBI's intake point for internet crime — you file a written complaint on its website.

Free, online only, no phone line. Have dates, amounts, account details and the scammer's contact information ready.

Cost

Free

How to start

File the complaint form at complaint.ic3.gov; report even if unsure it qualifies

For older adults

Has a dedicated Elder Fraud section, and warns that IC3 never contacts you asking for information or money.

The federal government's main place to report a scam or a dishonest business.

Free. Report online or by phone. Have the dates, the amounts and how they first contacted you.

How to start

File a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or call 1-877-FTC-HELP

Languages

Spanish

Answers consumer questions, refers you on, and sometimes takes up a dispute with a business directly.

Free. Weekdays 8am–4pm. Complaints can also be filed online.

How to start

Call the hotline, or file online, by mail, or in person at an AG office (Mon–Fri 9–5)

Languages

Complaint form in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole and Simplified Chinese

Address

Mail: Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Advocacy & Response Division, One Ashburton Place, 18th Floor, Boston, MA 02108

Case managers walk older victims of fraud through reporting it to the right agencies and finding help.

Free, for anyone 60 or over. Monday to Friday 10am–6pm Eastern. Other languages available.

Cost

Free

How to start

Call 833-FRAUD-11 on a weekday; you are given your own case manager

Who qualifies

Fraud victims age 60 or older

Languages

English, Spanish and other languages

For older adults

The real hotline never threatens legal action or asks for money or personal details — scammers sometimes pose as it.