Identity Theft Tops FTC Top Complaint List

For the 12th year in a row, identity theft complaints topped the list of top consumer complaints received by The Federal Trade Commission.

Of the more than 1.8 million complaints filed in 2011, 279,156 or 15 percent, were identity theft complaints. Nearly 25 percent of the identity theft complaints related to tax- or wage-related fraud.

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.

The next nine complaint categories are:

	Number	Percent
Debt Collection Complaints	180,928	10 percent
Prizes, Sweepstakes, and Lotteries	100,208	6 percent
Shop-at-Home and Catalog Sales	98,306	5 percent
Banks and Lenders	89,341	5 percent
Internet Services	81,805	5 percent
Auto Related Complaints	77,435	4 percent
Imposter Scams	73,281	4 percent
Telephone and Mobile Services	70,024	4 percent
Advance-Fee Loans and Credit Protection/Repair	47,414	3 percent