The Federal Trade Commission today released the list of top consumer complaints received by the agency in 2010. The list showed that for the 11th year in a row, identity theft was the number one consumer complaint category. Of 1,339,265 complaints received in 2010, 250,854 – or 19 percent – were related to identity theft. Debt collection complaints were in second place, with 144,159 complaints.
The report breaks out complaint data on a state-by-state basis and also contains data about the 50 metropolitan areas reporting the highest per capita incidence of fraud and other complaints. In addition, the 50 metropolitan areas reporting the highest incidence of identity theft are noted.
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. The FTC also has issued a new consumer alert, “Spotting an Imposter”, to help consumers avoid imposter scams.
The top consumer complaints were:
| Rank | Category | Number of Complaints | Percentage |
| 1 | Identity Theft | 250,854 | 19% |
| 2 | Debt Collection | 144,159 | 11% |
| 3 | Internet Services | 65,565 | 5% |
| 4 | Prizes, Sweepstakes and Lotteries | 64,085 | 5% |
| 5 | Shop-at-Home and Catalog Sales | 60,205 | 4% |
| 6 | Imposter Scams | 60,158 | 4% |
| 7 | Internet Auctions | 56,107 | 4% |
| 8 | Foreign Money/Counterfeit Check Scams | 43,866 | 3% |
| 9 | Telephone and Mobile Services | 37,388 | 3% |
| 10 | Credit Cards | 33,258 | 2% |
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s Web site provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. “Like” the FTC on Facebook and “follow” us on Twitter.
(Top complaints 2011)