By the Stats: Identity Theft Tops List of Consumer Fraud Complaints

Identity theft represented 37 percent of all fraud complaints filed in 2005, according to a report released by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Credit card fraud was the most common form of reported identity theft, and 46 percent of all complaints were Internet-related, noted the agency. Other top fraud categories included:

¥ Shop-at-home/catalog sales: 8 percent

¥ Prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries: 7 percent

¥ Internet services and computer complaints: 5 percent

Source: The FTC’s “Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft Complaint Data” report, http://www.consumer.gov/sentinel/pubs/top10fraud2005.pdf