FTC Releases Top Ten List of Consumer Complaints for 2011
www.CUNA.org/newsnow (3/6/12) For the 12
th year in the row, identity theft is the number 1 consumer complaint, according to information released last week by the Federal Trade Commission (
FTC) (
CNNMoney.com Feb. 28).
Of more than 1.8 million complaints filed in 2011, roughly 15% were related to identity theft. Nearly one-quarter of those were tax- or wage-related fraud. The top 10 complaints:
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Identity theft (15%);
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Debt collection (10%);
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Prizes, sweepstakes, lotteries (6%);
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Shop-at-home, catalog sales (5%);
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Banks and lenders (5%);
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Internet services (5%);
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Auto-related complaints (4%);
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Imposter scams (4%);
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Telephone and mobile services (4%); and
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Advance-fee loans and credit protection/repair (3%).
Consumers reported paying more than $1.5 billion for fraudulent schemes. The median amount paid to fraudsters was $537. And a whopping 43% of victims said they were targeted by e-mail.
To file a consumer complaint in English or Spanish, use the
FTC's Complaint Assistant at
ftccomplaintassistant.gov. Also from that website, members of the U.S. armed forces can file complaints with
Consumer Sentinel Military, which helps identify and target consumer protection issues affecting service members and their families. And
econsumer.gov allows you to file complaints against an entity in another country.
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