ID Theft tops FTC consumer complaints list

By IBTimes Staff Reporter | March 09 2011 2:51 AM

Identity theft has topped the list of consumer complaints last year, followed by debt collection, according to a report from the Federal Trade Commission.

Reuters

FTC Chairman Leibowitz speaks as U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner looks on as they discuss efforts being made to combat mortgage modification fraud at a meeting at the Treasury Department in Washington

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For the 11th year in a row, identity theft was the number one consumer complaint category. Of about 1.3 million complaints received in 2010, 250,854 – or 19 percent – were related to identity theft.

Government documents/benefits fraud was the most common form of reported identity theft, followed by credit card fraud, phone or utilities fraud, and employment fraud, FTC said.

Florida had the highest per capita rate of reported identity theft complaints, followed by Arizona and California, according to the report.Debt collection complaints were in second place, with 144,159 complaints.

Internet services and prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries each accounted for 5 percent of complaints, followed by shop-at-home and catalog sales, which made up 4 percent.

For the first time, imposter scams – where imposters posed as friends, family, respected companies or government agencies to get consumers to send them money – made the top 10 with 4 percent.

Internet Auctions accounted for 4 percent of complaints, while Foreign Money/Counterfeit Check Scams, Telephone and Mobile Services accounted 3 percent each.

Credit Cards rounded the top 10 list with 2 percent of complaints.

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