In February, the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network (CSN) published its annual Data Book for January-December 2008,
identifying the top ten fraud complaints, identity theft complaints and
other complaints that plagued this nation in 2008. This year for the
first time, the report includes "other complaints" in addition to fraud
and identity theft. It is based on over 1.2 million complaints
collected by the Network during calendar year 2008: 52% fraud
complaints; 26% identity theft complaints; and 22% other types of
complaints. Of those complaints reporting the initial means of contact,
fifty-two percent (52%) said that method was email. The Internet was
reported as the initial means of contact only eleven (11%) of the time
and telephone only seven percent (7%).
After Identity Theft, the complaint categories by broke down as follows nationally Third Party and Creditor Debt Collection (9%); Shop-at-Home and Catalog Sales (4%); Internet Services (4%); Foreign Money Offers and Counterfeit Check Scams (3%); Credit Bureaus, Information Furnishers and Report Users (3%); Prizes, Sweepstakes and Lotteries (3%); Television and Electronic Media (2%); Banks and Lenders (2%); and Telecom Equipment and Mobile Services (2%).
Credit card fraud was the most common form of reported identity theft at twenty percent (20%), followed by government documents/benefits fraud (15%), employment fraud (15%), and phone or utilities fraud (13%). Other major categories of identity theft reported by victims were bank fraud (11%) and loan fraud (4%).
Credit cards were also the principal form of payment (35%) for whatever it was that consumers purchased in reported scams. Wire transfers (24%), bank account debits (19%) and checks (10%) were other preferred means used by consumers to pay their losses.
The FTC's CSN gathers complaints provided directly to the Federal Trade Commission, state and local law enforcement agencies and other data contributors, who include: particpating Better Business Bureaus, the Internet Crime Complaint Center, Phonebusters, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the National Fraud Information Center, and the Identity Theft Assistance Center. All told, the network consists of 91 Federal agencies, 1,572 state and local agencies, three Canadian, and 26 other internationalgencies representing 23 countries.
For detail on Virginia numbers, see my next post (Third Party and Creditor Debt Collection Tops Virginia Consumer Complaints to CSN).
After Identity Theft, the complaint categories by broke down as follows nationally Third Party and Creditor Debt Collection (9%); Shop-at-Home and Catalog Sales (4%); Internet Services (4%); Foreign Money Offers and Counterfeit Check Scams (3%); Credit Bureaus, Information Furnishers and Report Users (3%); Prizes, Sweepstakes and Lotteries (3%); Television and Electronic Media (2%); Banks and Lenders (2%); and Telecom Equipment and Mobile Services (2%).
Credit card fraud was the most common form of reported identity theft at twenty percent (20%), followed by government documents/benefits fraud (15%), employment fraud (15%), and phone or utilities fraud (13%). Other major categories of identity theft reported by victims were bank fraud (11%) and loan fraud (4%).
Credit cards were also the principal form of payment (35%) for whatever it was that consumers purchased in reported scams. Wire transfers (24%), bank account debits (19%) and checks (10%) were other preferred means used by consumers to pay their losses.
The FTC's CSN gathers complaints provided directly to the Federal Trade Commission, state and local law enforcement agencies and other data contributors, who include: particpating Better Business Bureaus, the Internet Crime Complaint Center, Phonebusters, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the National Fraud Information Center, and the Identity Theft Assistance Center. All told, the network consists of 91 Federal agencies, 1,572 state and local agencies, three Canadian, and 26 other internationalgencies representing 23 countries.
For detail on Virginia numbers, see my next post (Third Party and Creditor Debt Collection Tops Virginia Consumer Complaints to CSN).
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