Commission’s Annual Report Shows Identity Theft Continues to Top List of Complaints; American Consumers Report Losing Over $1.6 Billion to Fraud Overall
For Release February 27, 2014
Identity theft
continues to top the Federal Trade Commission’s national ranking of consumer
complaints, and American consumers reported losing over $1.6 billion to fraud
overall in 2013, according to the FTC’s annual report on consumer complaints
released today.
“Americans of all
ages are vulnerable to identity theft, and it remains the most common consumer
complaint to the Commission,” said Jessica Rich, director, Bureau of Consumer
Protection. “We urge consumers to visit FTC.gov/idtheft for tips to prevent and mitigate the damage
from identity theft.”
The Commission
received more than two million complaints overall, as reported in the agency’s Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2013, of which 290,056,
or 14 percent, were identity theft related. Thirty percent of these incidents
were tax- or wage-related, which continues to be the largest category within
identity theft complaints.
The highest reported
age group for identity theft is 20-29, with 20 percent of complaints. Rich says
that educating consumers on this topic is a top priority for the agency. Some
of the FTC resources include Signs of Identity Theft, Immediate Steps to Repair Identity Theft, and How to Keep Your Personal Information Secure.
Of the more than 1.1
million fraud complaints (classified separately from identity theft) the
Commission received, 61 percent of consumers reported an amount of money they
had paid, which collectively added up to more than $1.6 billion.
The top 10 complaint
categories include:
Category
|
Number of
Complaints
|
Percentages
|
Identity Theft
|
290,056
|
14%
|
Debt Collection
|
204,644
|
10%
|
Banks and Lenders
|
152,707
|
7%
|
Imposter Scams
|
121,720
|
6%
|
Telephone and
Mobile Services
|
116,261
|
6%
|
Prizes,
Sweepstakes, and Lotteries
|
89,944
|
4%
|
Auto Related
Complaints
|
82,701
|
4%
|
Shop-at-Home and
Catalog Sales
|
66,024
|
3%
|
Television and
Electronic Media
|
53,087
|
3%
|
Advance Payment for
Credit Services
|
50,422
|
2%
|
The report details
national data, as well as a state-by-state accounting of top complaint
categories and a listing of the metropolitan areas that generated the most
complaints. This includes the top 50 metropolitan areas for both fraud
complaints and identity theft complaints. Florida is the state with the highest
per capita rate of reported identity theft and fraud complaints, followed by
Georgia and California for identity theft complaints, and Nevada and Georgia
for fraud and other complaints.
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