Identity theft again tops list of consumer complaints, FTC says

For the 12^th consecutive year, identity theft was the most common complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission in 2011, the agency announced.

Of the more than 1.8 million complaints filed with the FTC last year, more than 279,000 – or 15% -- involved the fraudulent use of consumers’ personal information.

California residents filed 38,607 complaints of identity theft, the most in the United States, followed by Florida (33,595) and Texas (24,162), according to the FTC report, which was released Tuesday.

Here are the top 10 complaints filed with the FTC in 2011:

Identity theft (15%)

Debt collection complaints (10%)

Prizes , sweepstakes, lotteries (6%)

Shop-at-home, catalog sales (5%)

Banks, lenders (5%)

Internet services (5%)

Auto-related complaints (4%)

Impostor scams (4%)

Telephone and mobile services (4%)

Advance-fee loans, credit repair (3%)

The FTC works to prevent fraud and deceptive and unfair business practices against U.S. consumers. Consumers can file complaints at the FTC’s website or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP.

RELATED:

Scam watch: Credit cards, auto repairs, phone cards

Dallas doctor accused of record $375M Medicare fraud

Study: Wealthy, motivated by greed, most likely to cheat