To file a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General, complete the appropriate complaint form, attach your supporting documents, and submit it through the office’s online portal, by mail to the Phoenix or Tucson office, or by fax. The office reviews every submission, decides whether the matter falls within its jurisdiction, and, with your permission, forwards the complaint to the business or person involved to try to resolve it informally.
What the Office Handles
Before filing, check that your issue is one the Attorney General actually works on. The office takes complaints about consumer fraud, civil rights violations, elder abuse and financial exploitation, and data breaches affecting Arizona residents.
Consumer protection covers deceptive practices like misleading advertising, high-pressure sales, telemarketing fraud, and disputes with auto dealerships over disclosure and warranty rules. The Civil Rights Division enforces the Arizona Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and voting based on race, color, sex (including pregnancy and childbirth), religion, national origin, age 40 and older, physical or mental disability, and genetic testing results.1Arizona Attorney General. Civil Rights Pamphlet The Elder Protection Unit handles physical abuse and financial exploitation of vulnerable adults, including cases where someone has coerced a senior into transferring property or assets.
Businesses reporting a data breach follow a separate track: if more than 1,000 Arizona residents are affected, the business must notify the office through a dedicated online form under ARS § 18-552, and those notifications are confidential and exempt from public records disclosure.2Arizona Attorney General. Notification of Data Breach
If your issue falls outside these areas, the office will refer you to the appropriate agency rather than act on it directly.
What to Gather Before You File
A thorough, well-documented complaint moves faster than one the office has to follow up on for missing information. Pull the following together before you start the form:
- The legal name, current contact details, and physical address of the business or person you’re complaining about.
- A chronological summary of every interaction and transaction that led to the dispute.
- Supporting documents: signed contracts, invoices, canceled checks, email correspondence, and anything else that backs up your account.
- Specific dollar amounts, which the office needs to calculate potential restitution or damages.
The Consumer Complaint Form is available in English and Spanish on the office’s website.3Arizona Attorney General. Consumer Complaint Civil rights complaints use a separate intake questionnaire from the Civil Rights Division. Check that every name and date on the form matches your attached evidence before you submit.
How to Submit
Online filing is the fastest route. The portal at consumer-complaint.azag.gov gives you instant confirmation that your complaint was received.
If you prefer paper, mail a printed form to either office:
- Phoenix: 2005 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004
- Tucson: 400 West Congress, South Building, Suite 315, Tucson, AZ 85701
Faxed submissions go to (602) 542-4579.4Arizona Attorney General. Contact Us
What Happens After You File
The Consumer Information and Complaints Unit reviews every complaint to determine whether it falls within the Attorney General’s jurisdiction.5Arizona Attorney General. File a Consumer Complaint If it does, the office works to resolve the dispute through an informal process. With your permission, staff forward the complaint to the business or entity involved and ask for a response. Every complaint is logged in a database the office uses to track patterns in business practices over time, so even a complaint that doesn’t get you a direct recovery can contribute to a larger enforcement action.
If informal resolution doesn’t work, the office provides additional resources and possible next steps. Complaints outside the office’s jurisdiction get referred to the agency that handles them.
What the Office Can Do About It
Knowing the remedies available helps you understand what to ask for and what a successful outcome looks like.
In consumer fraud cases, the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act (ARS § 44-1521 and following) gives the Attorney General authority under ARS § 44-1528 to seek a court injunction stopping the unlawful practice, order the return of money or property to victims, require the violator to give up profits gained through fraud, and bar a violator from a particular trade or occupation.6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 44-1528 – Remedies Injunction Other Reliefs Receiver A court can also impose civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each willful violation.5Arizona Attorney General. File a Consumer Complaint Restitution for victims is a primary goal.7Arizona Attorney General. About Consumer Protection
In civil rights cases, the office investigates whether state law was violated, interviews witnesses, and may attempt conciliation between the parties before deciding whether to pursue formal legal action.8Arizona Attorney General. Civil Rights Laws Employment remedies can include hiring or reinstatement and monetary damages. Housing complainants who also want federal involvement can file separately with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which runs its own process with a one-year filing deadline.
In elder financial exploitation cases, ARS § 46-456 lets a court award actual damages plus up to twice that amount in additional damages against someone who exploits a vulnerable adult.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 46-456 – Duty to a Vulnerable Adult Financial Exploitation Civil Penalties Exceptions Definitions A court can also revoke any gifts, power of attorney appointments, or fiduciary roles the abuser received from the victim, and sever joint property interests so the abuser can’t inherit by survivorship.