My last post (Scams Use Email As First Contact Over Half the Time According to Top Ten Frauds Report)
about the FTC Consumer Sentinel Network's (CSN) publication of its 2008
Databook focussed on the catagories of fraud and nationwide prevalence
of the categories. In this post, I'm looking at the prevalence in
Virginia of scam categories.
All told, Virginians reported 16,114 fraud claims to CSN agencies. For the 85% of these reports that included information about the amount of their payments, the grand total was $31,066,922, resulting in an average payment (or loss) based on fraud of $2,276.
Topping all reports, whether identity-theft or other types of fraud, were 3,091complaints concerning third-party or creditor debt collection activities. Given our national propensity for debt, and the hyper-stressed economy, the prevalence of these claims is not at all surprising, and I would expect to see these numbers go up as banks seek to improve their balance sheets and collect "bad" debts before consumers bankrupt or are foreclosed upon.
The total number of identity theft, fraud and other consumer complaints filed by Virginians was 31,044. Of those, 6,349 involved identify theft in some form. Here are how the categories break down:
Top 10 Fraud and Other Complaint Categories Reported by Virginia Consumers
*Percentages are based on the total number of CSN fraud and other complaints from Virginia consumers (24,695).
Top 8 Identity Theft Categories Reported by Virginia Consumers
All told, Virginians reported 16,114 fraud claims to CSN agencies. For the 85% of these reports that included information about the amount of their payments, the grand total was $31,066,922, resulting in an average payment (or loss) based on fraud of $2,276.
Topping all reports, whether identity-theft or other types of fraud, were 3,091complaints concerning third-party or creditor debt collection activities. Given our national propensity for debt, and the hyper-stressed economy, the prevalence of these claims is not at all surprising, and I would expect to see these numbers go up as banks seek to improve their balance sheets and collect "bad" debts before consumers bankrupt or are foreclosed upon.
The total number of identity theft, fraud and other consumer complaints filed by Virginians was 31,044. Of those, 6,349 involved identify theft in some form. Here are how the categories break down:
Top 10 Fraud and Other Complaint Categories Reported by Virginia Consumers
| Rank | Identity Theft Type | Complaints | *Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Third Party and Creditor Debt Collection | 3,091 | 13% |
| 2 | Shop-at-Home and Catalog Sales | 1,533 | 6% |
| 3 | Internet Services | 1,385 | 6% |
| 4 | Credit Bureaus, Information Furnishers and Report Users | 1,056 | 4% |
| 5 | Foreign Money Offers and Counterfeit Check Scams | 1,038 | 4% |
| 6 | Prizes, Sweepstakes and Lotteries | 965 | 4% |
| 7 | Banks and Lenders | 700 | 3% |
| 8 | Auto Related Complaints | 601 | 2% |
| 9 | Television and Electronic Media | 563 | 2% |
| 10 | Computer Equipment and Software | 553 | 2% |
*Percentages are based on the total number of CSN fraud and other complaints from Virginia consumers (24,695).
Top 8 Identity Theft Categories Reported by Virginia Consumers
| Rank | Identity Theft Type | Complaints | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Credit Card Fraud | 1,475 | 23% |
| 2 | Phone or Utilities Fraud | 996 | 16% |
| 3 | Government Documents or Benefits Fraud | 683 | 11% |
| 4 | Bank Fraud | 673 | 11% |
| 5 | Employment-Related Fraud | 480 | 8% |
| 6 | Loan Fraud | 287 | 5% |
| 7 | Other | 1,674 | 26% |
| 8 | Attempted Identity Theft | 429 | 7% |
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