Illinois Scam and Fraud Laws: Where to Report, Your Right to Sue (2026)

Illinois gives scam victims three tools that federal law does not. First, the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act lets "any person who suffers actual damage as a result of a violation" of the act sue the person responsible, and a violation means a deceptive or unfair practice "in the conduct of any trade or commerce." A court may award actual economic damages and other relief it finds proper, and may award attorney's fees to whichever side prevails. The act sets no multiplier, and the deadline is three years.

Second, since August 18, 2025, Illinois crypto ATM (kiosk) operators must refund a new customer who was tricked into up to three transactions, if the customer tells the operator within 30 days and files a police or government report within 60 days. They must also cap daily amounts and fees. Third, when someone in a position of trust, such as a relative, caregiver or financial adviser, financially exploits a person 60 or older or a person with a disability, Illinois law lets the victim recover three times the value of the property taken, plus attorney fees.

Information last verified on October 2, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This guide covers Illinois state law: the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, Illinois complaint offices, protections for older adults and adults with disabilities, Illinois rules on crypto ATMs and immigration services, and Illinois court limits and deadlines. Federal refund and reporting rights are summarized briefly and covered in depth on our national guides. Out of scope: criminal defense, and the law of other states (if the scammer or business is elsewhere, that state's law may also matter).

First steps if you were scammed in Illinois

Contact the bank, card issuer, payment app, wire company or crypto business that moved your money right away; that company is usually the only one that can stop or reverse a payment. Your federal rights depend on how you paid, and our guide on how to get money back after a scam goes through each payment method. For app transfers, see the Zelle and payment app guide.

If you paid through a crypto ATM in Illinois, the clock matters more than usual. The state refund right described below depends on contacting the kiosk operator within 30 days and giving it a police or government agency report within 60 days.

Then report it. Most scams go to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (in Spanish, ReporteFraude.ftc.gov), and online crime to the FBI's IC3; our where to report a scam guide lists every federal channel. The Illinois offices below are in addition to those, not instead of them. If your Social Security number or accounts were exposed, see Illinois identity theft laws.

Where to report a scam in Illinois

Be realistic about what an Attorney General complaint does. The office says it "can engage in informal dispute resolution on behalf of consumers having problems with" purchases, identity theft, home repair, auto sales and other areas, but that it "is prohibited from representing citizens privately." Its complaint form asks you to acknowledge that "the Attorney General is not my private attorney, but rather enforces laws designed to protect the public from misleading or unlawful practices."

The Attorney General's office says "The preferred method to file a consumer complaint is by an online submission," through its File a Complaint page. If you prefer paper, the downloadable complaint form tells you to "Fill out the form online, then print and mail to the address above," and to "Include copies (no originals please) of any supporting documents." The mailing address on the form is the Consumer Fraud Bureau, 500 South Second Street, Springfield, IL 62701 (1-800-243-0618; callers with hearing or speech disabilities can use the 7-1-1 relay service). The form asks whether you are a senior citizen, and it says the complaint will be forwarded to the business unless you check a box saying you object.

Illinois's consumer protection law: can you sue?

Often, if you can identify the person or business that deceived you. Illinois's law is broader than many states' on who may sue, and it sets no automatic multiplier on what you win.

Who can sue

Section 10a(a) of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act (815 ILCS 505/10a) gives the private right to sue:

"Any person who suffers actual damage as a result of a violation of this Act committed by any other person may bring an action against such person. The court, in its discretion may award actual economic damages or any other relief which the court deems proper"

The law does not limit this to a "consumer" who bought something. It says "any person," and section 1(c) defines person broadly to include "any natural person" as well as businesses. But two conditions are built in. You must have suffered actual damage, and it must result from a violation of the act. Section 2 (815 ILCS 505/2) defines the violation:

"Unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices, including but not limited to the use or employment of any deception fraud, false pretense, false promise, misrepresentation or the concealment, suppression or omission of any material fact, with intent that others rely upon the concealment, suppression or omission of such material fact ... in the conduct of any trade or commerce are hereby declared unlawful whether any person has in fact been misled, deceived or damaged thereby."

"Trade" and "commerce" mean the advertising, offering for sale, sale or distribution of services and property, and include trade or commerce "directly or indirectly affecting the people of this State" (section 1(f)). A fake product, a sham repair or a worthless service sold to you fits that language more easily than a payment to an impostor posing as a bank or a government agency. Whether your situation fits depends on the facts and on Illinois court decisions this guide does not cover; an Illinois lawyer can tell you.

What you can win

• Damages. The court "may award actual economic damages or any other relief which the court deems proper" (section 10a(a)). Section 10a does not multiply damages; there is no automatic double or triple award.
• Attorney's fees. Under section 10a(c), the court "may award ... reasonable attorney's fees and costs to the prevailing party." That is discretionary, and the words are "prevailing party," not only a winning plaintiff.
• Injunction. The court may also grant injunctive relief where appropriate (section 10a(c)).

Deadlines and other rules

• Three years. "Any action for damages under this Section shall be forever barred unless commenced within 3 years after the cause of action accrued" (section 10a(e)). If the Attorney General or a State's Attorney sues over the same matter, the clock is suspended while that case is pending "and for one year thereafter."
• Copy to the Attorney General. When you file, you "shall mail a copy of the complaint or other initial pleading to the Attorney General," and later a copy of any judgment or order (section 10a(d)).
• No general pre-suit notice. The 30-day written demand in section 10a(h) applies only to claims against new or used vehicle dealers and holders of retail installment contracts.
• Your rights cannot be waived. "Any waiver or modification of the rights, provisions, or remedies of this Act shall be void and unenforceable" (815 ILCS 505/10c).
• Exclusions. The act does not apply to "Actions or transactions specifically authorized by laws administered by any regulatory body or officer acting under statutory authority of this State or the United States," with a limit on that exclusion for products and services that cause bodily injury, death or property damage, among a few other listed exclusions (815 ILCS 505/10b). Whether that reaches a particular bank's or regulated company's conduct is a question for a lawyer.

What the state can do, and why it is not your money

The Attorney General or a State's Attorney can sue for an injunction and restitution, and a court may impose a civil penalty of up to $50,000, or up to $50,000 per violation if the practice was entered into with intent to defraud (815 ILCS 505/7(b)). If the violation was committed against a person 65 or older, the court may add a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation (section 7(c)). That senior penalty is paid to the State Treasurer for a Department on Aging fund for senior centers, not to the victim. The statute does say that "An award of restitution under subsection (a) has priority over a civil penalty" under that subsection.

The honest limit

Any lawsuit needs a defendant you can identify, serve and collect from. That often works against an Illinois business, a contractor or a seller with a real address. It usually does not work against an anonymous scammer behind a spoofed number, a fake website or an overseas crypto wallet. A judgment does not help if nobody can be found to pay it.

Protections for older adults in Illinois

A felony when someone in a position of trust exploits an older person. Under 720 ILCS 5/17-56(a), a person commits financial exploitation of an elderly person or a person with a disability "when he or she stands in a position of trust or confidence with the elderly person or a person with a disability and he or she knowingly: (1) by deception or intimidation obtains control over the property of an elderly person or a person with a disability; or (2) illegally uses the assets or resources of an elderly person or a person with a disability." An elderly person is someone 60 or older.

The statute lists who stands in a position of trust: a parent, spouse, adult child or other relative by blood or marriage; a joint tenant or tenant in common; someone with a legal or fiduciary relationship; "a financial planning or investment professional"; a paid or unpaid caregiver; or "a friend or acquaintance in a position of trust." If the person who took the money was a stranger, ask a lawyer or the prosecutor whether any of these categories fits; this guide does not cover Illinois's other theft and fraud laws.

The offense is graded by value:

If a charged case involves the taking or loss of property worth more than $5,000, the prosecutor may ask the court to freeze the defendant's assets, up to the alleged value of the loss, for restitution to the victim (section 17-56(h)). An amendment by Public Act 104-671 takes effect on January 1, 2027 and adds a definition of undue influence; the grading and the civil remedy described here are unchanged by it.

Treble damages in a civil case. Section 17-56(g) creates a civil cause of action for the same exploitation, which means the same position-of-trust element applies. "A person against whom a civil judgment has been entered for financial exploitation of an elderly person or person with a disability shall be liable to the victim or to the estate of the victim in damages of treble the amount of the value of the property obtained, plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs." The victim must prove the exploitation by a preponderance of the evidence, and the civil claim is available "whether or not the defendant has been charged or convicted." It does not limit other remedies under the common law or other laws.

Reporting to Adult Protective Services. Under the Adult Protective Services Act, "Any person who suspects the abuse, abandonment, neglect, financial exploitation, or self-neglect of an eligible adult may report" it (320 ILCS 20/4(a)). An eligible adult is an adult with disabilities aged 18 through 59, or a person aged 60 or older, who lives in a domestic living situation (320 ILCS 20/2). Financial exploitation means "the use of an eligible adult's resources by another to the disadvantage of that adult or the profit or advantage of a person other than that adult." The statewide 24-hour hotline is 1-866-800-1409, and the Department on Aging's Senior HelpLine is 1-800-252-8966.

Bank staff will have to report starting July 1, 2027. Public Act 104-662, effective July 1, 2027, adds to the mandated reporters "an employee of a financial institution who serves either as a branch manager or member of the compliance team (including as a Bank Secrecy Act officer)," at a bank, savings bank, savings and loan or credit union (320 ILCS 20/2). The current list includes investment advisors but not bank staff. A mandated reporter who has reason to believe that an eligible adult who cannot seek help because of a disability or other condition or impairment has been financially exploited within the previous 12 months must report within 24 hours (320 ILCS 20/4(a-5)). From July 1, 2027, a financial institution employee who willfully fails to report will be referred to the IDFPR for possible discipline. We have not confirmed whether Illinois law also lets a bank hold or delay a transaction it suspects is exploitation, so ask the bank directly what it can do.

If you are worried about a parent, call the Adult Protective Services Hotline at 1-866-800-1409 and tell the bank directly that you suspect a scam. For fraud against anyone 60 or older, the federal DOJ National Elder Fraud Hotline (833-372-8311) can also help; see where to report a scam.

Illinois scam laws on the books

Crypto ATMs (digital asset kiosks)

Illinois regulates crypto ATMs in the Digital Asset Kiosks Act (205 ILCS 732, Public Act 104-429) and, more broadly, the Digital Assets and Consumer Protection Act (205 ILCS 731, Public Act 104-428). Both took effect August 18, 2025; the IDFPR's October 28, 2025 advisory says "Both Acts took immediate effect." The kiosk consumer protections below apply now.

A "new customer" is a person who has never transacted with the operator before, and stays one for the earlier of the customer's first 3 transactions after opening an account or 7 days after opening it (205 ILCS 732/10). After that period, the customer is an existing customer.

• Refunds for new customers. The operator "must issue a refund to a new customer for the full amount for up to 3 fraudulent transactions made within the new customer period, upon request of the customer" (section 45(a)). The customer must have been "fraudulently induced" to make the transaction, must contact the operator "within 30 days after the last transaction to occur during the new customer period," and must submit "a police report or government agency report" to the operator within 60 days after that last transaction.
• Refunds for existing customers are limited to charges. The operator "must issue a refund to an existing customer for the full amount of all charges upon request" (section 45(b)). That is the operator's charges, not the money you put into the machine. The same conditions apply, counted from the transaction or transactions at issue: contact within 30 days and a police or government report within 60 days.
• Daily limits. An operator "shall not accept or dispense more than $2,500 or equivalent monetary value in a day from or to the same new customer," or "more than $10,500 or the equivalent monetary value in a day from or to any existing customer" (section 25).
• Fee cap. Charges for a single transaction may not exceed "the greater of the following: (1) $5; or (2) 18% of digital assets involved in the transaction according to the market price of the digital asset at the time the customer initiates the transaction" (section 30).
• Warnings and receipts. Before each transaction the operator must give a written disclosure, including its refund procedures and a bold warning: "Warning: Losses due to fraudulent or accidental transactions may not be recoverable and transactions are irreversible except as otherwise set forth in this disclosure." You also get a receipt that lists the operator's contact information and refund procedures (section 35).
• Kiosk locations. Operators must give the IDFPR the address of every kiosk they run in Illinois, and the law requires the IDFPR to make that list and each operator's contact information available on its website (section 40).
• A right to sue. "A claim of violation of Sections 25, 30, and 45 of this Act may be asserted in a civil action. Additionally, a prevailing resident may be awarded reasonable attorney's fees and court costs" (section 95). So an operator that refuses a refund the law requires, takes more than the daily limit, or overcharges can be sued, and an Illinois resident who wins may get fees.

Registration comes later. Operators will have to register with the IDFPR, but the registration requirement is not enforced yet. Under the transition section of Public Act 104-428 (section 35-15(a)), a covered person engaging in digital asset business activity "without a registration under this Act shall not be considered in violation of Section 15-5 or 5-25 until July 1, 2027." The IDFPR is authorized "to receive, consider, investigate, and act upon complaints made by any person relating to any digital asset business activity in this State" (205 ILCS 731/1-15(c)(4)). For how crypto ATM scams work, see our tech support and fake invoice scams guide.

Immigration services and notario fraud

Section 2AA of the Consumer Fraud Act (815 ILCS 505/2AA) regulates people who are not lawyers and offer immigration assistance services. They may perform only the limited services the section lists, and the section says "No person subject to this Act shall charge fees directly or indirectly for referring an individual to an attorney or for any immigration matter not authorized by this Article," apart from notary fees the Illinois Notary Public Act permits. Other protections:

• Registration. "Any person performing such services shall register with the Illinois Attorney General and submit verification of malpractice insurance or of a surety bond" (section 2AA(c)).
• A written contract. A written contract is required before services begin (section 2AA(d)).
• Signs. The provider must post signs saying "I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW AND MAY NOT GIVE LEGAL ADVICE OR ACCEPT FEES FOR LEGAL ADVICE." and "You may cancel any contract within 3 working days and get your money back for services not performed." (section 2AA(e)).

Licensed attorneys and accredited nonprofit organizations are exempt. Report a provider who breaks these rules to the Attorney General. Our notario fraud guide explains how these scams work and where to get legitimate help.

Suing a scammer or a business in Illinois

Small claims. The Illinois courts' small claims forms are for anyone who wants "To sue a person or business for $10,000 or less," and "can only be used in civil cases seeking money damages in the amount of $10,000 or less." The small claims instructions walk through filing.

Deadlines. A Consumer Fraud Act claim must be filed within 3 years after it accrued (815 ILCS 505/10a(e)). Illinois's general limit for "all civil actions not otherwise provided for" is 5 years (735 ILCS 5/13-205); whether that or another limit governs a particular fraud claim is a question for a lawyer. If the person liable "fraudulently conceals the cause of such action" from you, 735 ILCS 5/13-215 lets you sue "at any time within 5 years after the person entitled to bring the same discovers that he or she has such cause of action." Note that this extension is about concealment of the claim, which is narrower than a general discovery rule. Our Illinois statute of limitations guide covers other civil deadlines. If a collector is now chasing a debt the scammer ran up in your name, see Illinois debt collection laws.

Who you can actually reach. Lawsuits work against people and businesses with a name, an address and assets. A scammer who hid behind a fake identity, a spoofed caller ID or an overseas account is usually not reachable through an Illinois court. In those cases, the payment company, a fast report to law enforcement, and protecting your identity are where your effort pays off. A crypto ATM operator is different: it is a known business with Illinois duties, which is why the kiosk refund and lawsuit rights above matter.

Related guides

• Scams and fraud: your rights and where to start
• How to get money back after a scam
• Where to report a scam
• Crypto and investment scams
• Elder fraud
• Zelle and payment app scams
• Phishing, smishing and vishing
• When a lawyer helps after a scam
• Notario fraud
• Illinois identity theft laws
• Illinois debt collection laws
• Illinois statute of limitations

Last updated: October 2, 2026.

This article is general legal information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, contact your payment company, the Illinois office named above, or a lawyer licensed in Illinois.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sue a scammer in Illinois?

Possibly, if you can identify and serve them. Under 815 ILCS 505/10a, any person who suffers actual damage as a result of a deceptive or unfair practice in trade or commerce that violates the Consumer Fraud Act may sue for actual economic damages and other relief, within 3 years. An anonymous or overseas scammer is usually not reachable through an Illinois court.

Does the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act give triple damages?

No multiplier is set in section 10a. The court may award actual economic damages or other relief it deems proper, and may award attorney's fees and costs to the prevailing party. Treble damages appear in a different law, 720 ILCS 5/17-56(g), for financial exploitation of an older person or a person with a disability by someone in a position of trust.

Do I have to be a consumer to sue under the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act?

Section 10a says any person who suffers actual damage as a result of a violation may sue, not only a consumer. The damage must come from a deceptive or unfair practice in the conduct of trade or commerce, and whether a given scam fits depends on the facts.

How long do I have to sue under the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act?

3 years after the claim accrued (815 ILCS 505/10a(e)). The clock is suspended while an Attorney General or State's Attorney case over the same matter is pending, and for one year after.

Will the Illinois Attorney General get my money back?

The Attorney General's office can try informal dispute resolution with a business, but it is prohibited from representing citizens privately. Contact your payment company first, and file the complaint as well.

What is the Illinois Attorney General's consumer fraud phone number?

The hotlines are Chicago 1-800-386-5438, Springfield 1-800-243-0618 and Carbondale 1-800-243-0607. The Spanish-language toll-free hotline is 1-866-310-8398.

Can I get a refund from a crypto ATM in Illinois if I was scammed?

If you were a new customer, the operator must refund the full amount of up to 3 fraudulently induced transactions made in the new customer period, if you contact it within 30 days and give it a police or government agency report within 60 days (205 ILCS 732/45). An existing customer can get back the full amount of all charges, not the money sent.

What is the crypto ATM limit in Illinois?

$2,500 a day for a new customer and $10,500 a day for an existing customer (205 ILCS 732/25). Fees are capped at the greater of $5 or 18 percent of the transaction (section 30).

Do crypto ATM operators have to register in Illinois?

Registration with the IDFPR is coming, but under the transition rule in Public Act 104-428 an operator without a registration is not considered in violation of the registration sections until July 1, 2027. The kiosk limits, fee cap and refund rules already apply.

Who do I call if an elderly person in Illinois is being scammed?

Call the Adult Protective Services Hotline at 1-866-800-1409, 24 hours a day. For a nursing home resident, call the Department of Public Health hotline at 1-800-252-4343. The DOJ Elder Fraud Hotline (833-372-8311) also helps with fraud against anyone 60 or older.

Is financial exploitation of an elderly person a crime in Illinois?

Yes, when the person stands in a position of trust or confidence with someone 60 or older or a person with a disability and knowingly takes or misuses their property (720 ILCS 5/17-56). It is a Class 4 to Class 1 felony depending on the value and the victim's age.

What is the small claims limit in Illinois?

The Illinois courts' small claims forms are for claims of $10,000 or less.