FTC Issues Report of 2009 Top Consumer Complaints
"FTC Issues Report of 2009 Top Consumer Complaints
New Video Details How to File a Complaint
The Federal Trade Commission today released a report listing top complaints consumers filed with the agency in 2009. It shows that while identity theft remains the top complaint category, identity theft complaints declined 5 percentage points from 2008.

The FTC is releasing a new animated video showing how people can file a complaint, and offers examples of what complaints the FTC handles. To watch the video, visit http://ftc.gov/multimedia/video/scam-watch/file-a-complaint.shtm (also available in Spanish at http://ftc.gov/multimedia/video/scam-watch/file-a-complaint_es.shtm).

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 top complaints were:

Rank Category No. of Complaints Percentages
1 Identity Theft 278,078 21%
2 Third Party and Creditor Debt Collection 119,549 9%
3 Internet Services 83,067 6%
4 Shop-at-Home and Catalog Sales 74,581 6%
5 Foreign Money Offers and Counterfeit Check Scams 61,736 5%
6 Internet Auction 57,821 4%
7 Credit Cards 45,203 3%
8 Prizes, Sweepstakes and Lotteries 41,763 3%
9 Advance-Fee Loans and Credit Protection/Repair 41,448 3%
10 Banks and Lenders 32,443 2%
11 Credit Bureaus, Information Furnishers and Report Users 31,629 2%
12 Television and Electronic Media 26,568 2%
13 Health Care 25,414 2%
14 Business Opportunities, Employment Agencies and Work-at-Home Plans 22,896 2%
15 Computer Equipment and Software 22,621 2% "