Top Consumer Fraud Complaints

Identity theft again leads list of reports filed by consumers.

Federal Trade Commission

By an overwhelming count, Identity Theft was the leader in the number of consumer fraud-related complaints last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

For the eighth year in a row, Identity Theft was the number one consumer complaint in the annual Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Report: Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft Complaint Data, January-December 2007.

Of the 813,899 total fraud-connected complaints received last year, 258,427, or 32%, related to Identity Theft. A distant second was “Shop-at-Home/Catalog Sales” with 8% of the complaints filed.

The FTC report found that credit card fraud was the most common form of reported Identity Theft at 23%, followed by utilities fraud at 18%, employment fraud at 14%, and bank fraud at 13%.

More than $1.2 billion of fraud losses were reported by consumers, with the median loss at $349 per person.

Here is the top ten list of consumer complaints and percentages of total complaints reported:

1. Identity Theft, 32%
2. Shop-at-Home/Catalog Sales, 8%
3. Internet Services, 5%
4. Foreign Money Offers, 4%
5. Prizes/Sweepstakes and Lotteries, 4%
6. Computer Equipment and Software, 3%
7. Internet Auctions, 3%
8. Health Care Claims, 2%
9. Travel, Vacations, and Timeshares, 2%
10. Advance-Fee Loans, and Credit Protection/Repair, 2%

The FTC collects consumer fraud complaints from more than 125 other organizations. The complaints are made available to more than 1,600 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

To file a complaint, call 1-877-382-4357.

This article and hundreds more can be found in the “Member Library” at the NEA Member Benefits Web Site at www.neamb.com.