ID theft, debt collection top consumer complaints in 2008

03.01.09
By Nicholas Storie

Identity theft grievances topped the list of over 1.2 million consumers complaints registered last year.

According to new data from the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book for January to December 2008, 26 percent of the complaints were regarding identity theft while 9 percent of the calls were about third-party and creditor debt collections.

The Consumer Sentinel Network is a secure online database of complaints filed with entities including the Federal Trade Commission, the Internet Crime Complaint Center and Better Business Bureaus among others.

The CSN tallies consumer complaints on a number of topics including some of the most pressing in today's economy - mortgages, lending and credit reports.

More than 640,000 of the complaints recorded for 2008 were fraud-related. Email and internet were the most common methods of fraudster contact mentioned by complainants.

According to the report, Colorado had the highest per capita rate of reported fraud and other types of complaints, with Maryland and Nevada trailing in second and third position.

Identity theft was most commonly reported in Arizona followed by California and Florida.

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1.2 million people complained of ID theft last year