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

Maine's main consumer protection law, the Unfair Trade Practices Act, lets a person who bought or leased goods, services or property primarily for personal, family or household purposes, and lost money or property as a result of an unfair or deceptive practice, sue for actual damages and restitution. If the court finds a violation, it must award that person reasonable attorney's fees and costs. Two limits matter: you must send a written demand at least 30 days before suing for damages, and the statute provides for no triple or punitive damages. Whether the act reaches a victim who bought nothing, such as someone who sent money to an impostor, is an open question this guide could not resolve.

Maine also limits crypto ATMs (virtual currency kiosks) to $1,000 a day per customer for each operator, with a refund right for a defrauded new customer, and since September 24, 2025 it has let banks and credit unions delay a disbursement from an older adult's account for up to 15 business days when they suspect financial exploitation. Scam complaints go to the Maine Attorney General, whose office can offer free mediation with a business but does not act as your lawyer.

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

Jurisdiction scope: This guide covers Maine state law: the Unfair Trade Practices Act (5 M.R.S. chapter 10), Maine complaint offices, Maine protections for older and dependent adults, Maine's virtual currency kiosk rules, and Maine deadlines for suing. 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). Maine statute text quoted here is from the official statutes site as extracted in October 2025.

First steps if you were scammed in Maine

Contact the bank, card issuer, payment app, wire company or crypto exchange 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. Our guide on how to get money back after a scam walks through each payment method, and the Zelle and payment app guide covers app transfers.

Then report it. Most scams go to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and online crime to the FBI's IC3; our where to report a scam guide lists every federal channel. The Maine offices below are in addition to those, not instead of them.

The Maine Attorney General's own scam warnings put the payment problem plainly: "This is frequently the preferred way for scammers to ask for money. Remember, this is just like sending someone cash - you'll never see it again." That is about wire transfers and reloadable cards, and it is why speed with the payment company matters.

Where to report a scam in Maine

Be realistic about what an Attorney General complaint can do. The office says it does "not mediate disputes between private parties (i.e., where neither party is a business)," and "When we sue, we do not act as a private attorney or represent individual consumers." It also says it generally prioritizes "unfair or deceptive practices that harm large numbers of consumers." A complaint about an anonymous scammer is still worth filing, because it feeds enforcement and goes to the FTC, but it is a report, not a refund request. The complaint line is staffed Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

For an older relative who was scammed, the federal DOJ National Elder Fraud Hotline (833-372-8311) also helps people 60 and older report fraud; see our elder fraud guide.

Maine's consumer protection law: can you sue?

Sometimes. Section 207 of the Unfair Trade Practices Act declares "unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce" unlawful, and section 213 gives some people a private right to sue. The key words of section 213(1) decide who that is:

"Any person who purchases or leases goods, services or property, real or personal, primarily for personal, family or household purposes and thereby suffers any loss of money or property ... may bring an action ... for actual damages, restitution and for such other equitable relief, including an injunction"

Read that as three conditions. You must have purchased or leased goods, services or property; the purchase must have been primarily for personal, family or household purposes; and you must have lost money or property as a result of a practice section 207 makes unlawful. A case can be brought in Superior Court or District Court, and there is a right to a jury trial in Superior Court.

That fits a reader who paid a real business, such as a contractor or a seller, for something bought for personal or household use, and was deceived. It is less clear for a victim who was tricked into sending money to an impostor without buying anything. The statute's text is limited to purchasers and lessees, and we did not find a Maine court decision answering whether it covers that situation, so we do not say either way. A Maine lawyer can tell you whether your facts fit.

What you can recover

Section 213 lists actual damages, restitution, and equitable relief such as an injunction. It does not provide for triple damages, punitive damages or a minimum dollar award.

Attorney's fees are the strongest part. Under section 213(2), if the court finds a violation of section 207, the person who sued "shall ... be awarded reasonable attorney's fees and costs," regardless of the amount in controversy. There is one catch: if you reject a settlement offer and your judgment is not more favorable than that offer, you cannot recover the fees and costs you ran up after the offer.

The 30-day written demand

Before suing for damages, section 213(1-A) requires a written demand for relief to be mailed or delivered to the business at its last known address at least 30 days before filing. The demand must identify you and reasonably describe the unfair or deceptive practice and the injuries you suffered. The demand is not required for a counterclaim or cross-claim.

Exclusions and the deadline

The act does not apply to transactions permitted under laws administered by a state or federal regulatory board or officer, but only if the business shows both that it is regulated and that the specific conduct was authorized or required (5 M.R.S. section 208). That burden is on the business.

Section 213 sets no deadline of its own. Maine's general rule is that civil actions must be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues (14 M.R.S. section 752), but we did not confirm which period Maine courts apply to these claims. Send the demand and act early rather than relying on the full period.

The honest limit

A lawsuit needs someone you can identify, serve and collect from. That can work against a Maine business, a contractor or a seller with a real address. It usually does not work against an anonymous scammer behind a spoofed number or a crypto wallet, and a judgment does not help if nobody can be found to pay it. The Attorney General's office also notes that when a corporation or limited liability company has ceased operations, "a consumer may have limited recourse."

Separately, the Attorney General can sue under the act and ask the court to restore money or property to anyone who suffered a loss from the unlawful practice (5 M.R.S. section 209). That depends on the office choosing to bring a case; it is not a claim you file.

Protections for older adults in Maine

Bank and credit union delays. Since September 24, 2025, 9-B M.R.S. section 245 has let a Maine financial institution or credit union delay a disbursement from the account of an "eligible adult," meaning someone 65 or older or an adult protected under the Adult Protective Services Act, if it "reasonably believes that the requested disbursement may result in financial exploitation." The power is permissive: the institution may delay, it is not required to. The institution must give notice of the delay within 2 business days and report to the Attorney General.

The delay ends when the institution determines the disbursement will not result in exploitation or 15 business days after it began, whichever is earlier, and a court can extend it. If you are worried about a parent's account, telling the bank directly that you suspect a scam gives it the information it needs to use this power.

Investment accounts. A parallel rule lets a broker-dealer or investment adviser delay a disbursement from an eligible adult's account. That delay generally ends after 15 business days, or up to 25 business days if the Department of Health and Human Services or the securities administrator asks for an extension (32 M.R.S. section 16806).

Adult Protective Services. Maine's Adult Protective Services law covers incapacitated or dependent adults, not every older person. It defines financial exploitation as "the use of deception, intimidation, undue influence, force or other unlawful means to obtain control over the property of a dependent adult for another's profit or advantage" (22 M.R.S. section 3472). The hotline is 1-800-624-8404. Professionals on the statute's list, including physicians, nurses, social workers and law enforcement officers, must report immediately when they know or have reasonable cause to suspect that an incapacitated or dependent adult has been or is likely to be exploited (22 M.R.S. section 3477).

Criminal law. Theft by deception (17-A M.R.S. section 354) covers anyone who obtains control over another person's property "as a result of deception and with intent to deprive" them of it, and deception includes creating a false impression about identity. The grade depends on the value taken: more than $10,000 is a Class B crime. Section 354 does not raise the grade because of the victim's age. A separate "vulnerable person" enhancement in 17-A M.R.S. section 903 applies to property entrusted to someone as a fiduciary, such as an agent or caregiver who misuses an incapacitated or dependent adult's money, not to a stranger running a scam. Criminal penalties are punishment by the state, not money paid to the victim.

Maine scam laws on the books

Crypto ATMs (virtual currency kiosks)

Maine's Virtual Currency Kiosk Act (Public Law 2025, chapter 285) was approved June 12, 2025 as emergency legislation, so it took effect that day. A Maine Senate release on the bill said "cryptocurrency fraud cost Mainers more than $31 million in 2024." The act's main rules for kiosk operators:

• Licensing. An operator must be licensed as a money transmitter unless an exemption applies (32 M.R.S. section 6165).
• Warnings. Before a transaction, the operator must disclose the material risks of kiosk transactions, "including the risk of fraud or loss and the exchange rates" (section 6168).
• Daily limit. An operator "may not accept or dispense more than $1,000 in a day from or to a customer" through kiosks it owns (section 6169(1)).
• Fee cap. Charges may not exceed the greater of $5 or 3% of the dollar value of the transaction (section 6169(2)).
• No waivers. Any waiver of these rights by a customer is void (section 6170-B).

The refund right. Section 6169(4) requires an operator to refund "the full amount of all transactions made within 90 days of the customer's first virtual currency kiosk transaction with the virtual currency kiosk operator including any transaction charges," when the customer meets the statute's conditions. Those conditions include that the transactions were induced by fraud or by an unfair, deceptive or abusive practice, and that within one year of the last fraud-induced transaction the customer filed a report with a government or law enforcement agency that includes a sworn statement of the details. In practice this protects a new customer of that operator; transactions after the first 90 days are outside the refund rule.

If a kiosk scam happened to you, file the sworn report promptly, keep your receipts, and contact the operator and the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection. The statute text above is from the October 2025 extract on Maine's statutes site. A 2026 law, Public Law 2025, chapter 542, in effect since July 29, 2026, adds that a cash-dispensing machine may not operate as a virtual currency kiosk unless the kiosk operator is licensed as a money transmitter; it does not change the $1,000 daily limit or the refund rule. We could not confirm whether any other 2026 legislation changed the kiosk rules. Our crypto and investment scams guide covers what else you can do.

Notario and immigration-consultant fraud

A Maine notary commission does not authorize anyone to act as an immigration consultant or expert on immigration matters, or to be paid for doing so. A notary who is not a Maine-licensed attorney may not use the title "notario" or "notario publico," and one who advertises notarial services must include a statement that begins "I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in this State," or an alternate statement the Secretary of State authorizes (4 M.R.S. section 1926). A person harmed by a violation of section 1926 may sue in Superior Court; if the court finds a violation, it may award actual damages, an amount equal to 3 times the actual damages, and costs and reasonable attorney's fees. The Attorney General has a page on immigration scams. See our notario fraud guide.

Door-to-door sales

Maine's Consumer Credit Code gives a buyer in a "home solicitation sale" the right to cancel "until midnight of the third business day after the day on which the buyer signs an agreement" (9-A M.R.S. section 3-502). The definition is written around consumer credit sales made at the buyer's home; we did not confirm whether it also reaches cash sales, so ask the Attorney General's office or a lawyer if you paid cash.

Suing a scammer or a business in Maine

Small claims court. Small claims is a docket of the Maine District Court. Since January 1, 2026, it hears claims where "the debt or damage does not exceed $10,000 exclusive of interest and costs" (14 M.R.S. section 7482); the limit was $6,000 before then. For a damages claim under the Unfair Trade Practices Act, the 30-day written demand described above must be sent before you file.

The fraud deadline. Maine's general civil deadline is 6 years after the cause of action accrues (14 M.R.S. section 752). For fraud, 14 M.R.S. section 859 says that "if a fraud is committed which entitles any person to an action, the action may be commenced at any time within 6 years after the person entitled thereto discovers that he has just cause of action." The same rule applies when the person liable fraudulently concealed the claim. Our Maine statute of limitations guide covers other civil deadlines.

Who you can actually reach. Lawsuits work against people and businesses with a name, an address and assets. A scammer hiding behind a fake identity, a spoofed caller ID or an overseas account is usually not reachable through a Maine court. In those cases the payment company, a fast report, and protecting your identity are where your effort pays off. Our guide on when a lawyer helps after a scam explains which cases are worth taking further.

Related guides

• Scams and fraud: your rights and where to start
• How to get money back after a scam
• Where to report a scam
• Elder fraud
• Crypto and investment scams
• Phishing, smishing and vishing
• Maine identity theft laws
• Maine debt collection laws
• Maine 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 Maine office named above, or a lawyer licensed in Maine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sue a scammer in Maine?

Possibly, if you can identify and serve them. The Unfair Trade Practices Act (5 M.R.S. section 213) lets a person who purchased or leased goods, services or property primarily for personal, family or household purposes, and lost money or property from an unfair or deceptive practice, sue for actual damages and restitution. Whether it covers a victim who bought nothing is unsettled, and an anonymous or overseas scammer is usually not reachable through a Maine court. A written demand must be sent at least 30 days before filing for damages; the act provides no triple or punitive damages, but the court must award reasonable attorney's fees and costs if it finds a violation.

Does Maine's Unfair Trade Practices Act award triple damages?

No. Section 213 provides actual damages, restitution and equitable relief such as an injunction, plus mandatory attorney's fees and costs if the court finds a violation. It contains no triple, punitive or minimum damages.

Do I have to send a demand letter before suing under the Maine UTPA?

Yes, for a damages claim. Section 213(1-A) requires a written demand for relief, identifying you and describing the practice and your injuries, to be mailed or delivered to the business at least 30 days before you file.

Does the Maine UTPA pay my attorney's fees?

If the court finds a violation, section 213(2) says you shall be awarded reasonable attorney's fees and costs. But if you rejected a settlement offer and your judgment is no better than it, you lose fees and costs incurred after that offer.

Will the Maine Attorney General get my money back?

Do not expect it. The office may offer free, voluntary, non-binding mediation with a business, but it does not mediate disputes where neither party is a business and does not represent individual consumers. Contact your payment company first.

Who do I call if an older person in Maine is being scammed?

For an incapacitated or dependent adult, call Adult Protective Services at 1-800-624-8404. Also tell their bank or credit union: since September 24, 2025, it may delay a suspicious disbursement from the account of someone 65 or older for up to 15 business days.

Does Maine limit crypto ATM transactions?

Yes. Since June 12, 2025, a kiosk operator may not accept or dispense more than $1,000 a day to or from a customer through its kiosks, fees are capped at the greater of $5 or 3%, and a defrauded new customer can get a refund of transactions from their first 90 days with that operator if they meet the statute's conditions, including a sworn report to a government or law enforcement agency within one year.

What is the small claims limit in Maine?

$10,000, not counting interest and costs, since January 1, 2026 (14 M.R.S. section 7482). It was $6,000 before then.

How long do I have to sue for fraud in Maine?

Under 14 M.R.S. section 859, a fraud action may be brought within 6 years after the person discovers they have just cause of action. The general civil deadline is 6 years after the claim accrues (section 752).