Today, the FTC announced its top 10 consumer complaints for 2014. Of the more than 2.5 million consumer complaints received…
- Identity theft once again tops the list, with 13 percent of total complaints filed.
- Debt collection held steady as the second-most-reported complaint, with 11 percent.
- Imposter scams — where con artists impersonate government officials or others — moved into third place on the list of consumer complaints, entering the top three complaint categories for the first time. The increase in imposter scams was led by a sharp increase in complaints about IRS and other government imposter frauds.
- Rounding out the field: Telephone and mobile services; banks and lenders; prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries; auto-related complaints; shop-at-home and catalog sales; television and electronic media; and finally, internet services.
Florida, Georgia and Nevada are the top three states for fraud per capita and other complaints, while Florida, Washington and Oregon are the top three for identity theft complaints.
For a complete list of all complaint categories, check out page six of the FTC’s 2014 Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book.
Your complaints matter at the FTC. If a business doesn’t deliver on its promises, if someone cheats you out of your money, or if you've spotted a scam, tell it to the FTC. Your complaints help us stop rip-off artists, scammers and fraudsters. The FTC’s aggressive law enforcement efforts put the bad guys out of business, and our vigorous consumer education campaigns empower people just like you to make well-informed buying decisions and recognize frauds and scams.
