Top 10 Consumer Complaints and Scams Released

The Utah Division of Consumer Protection has released its annual top 10 consumer complaints as part of the 15th National Consumer Protection Week.

“Consumers of all ages remain the prime target for fraudsters who seek new ways to profit by deception,” said Francine A. Giani, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce. “Our division hopes that by sharing this list, Utahns will be aware of the scams circling our state and be able to protect their families against fraud.”

The Division is also highlighting the Federal Trade Commission’s 2012 “Consumer Sentinel” report which tracks Utah consumer complaints to the federal agency.

According to the 2012 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) state-by-state “Consumer Sentinel” report, Utah consumers reported 9,907 complaints to the federal agency between January 1 and December 31, 2012 in the following categories:

Rank   Top Categories                                                              Complaints      Percentage
1)         Debt collection                                                                        1,293               13
2)         Shop-at-home, catalog sales                                               768                  8
3)         Banks and lenders                                                                  675                  7
4)         Telephone and mobile services                                           629                  6
5)         Internet services                                                                       556                  6
6)         Imposter scams                                                                       548                  6
7)         Auto related complaints                                                          533                  5
8)         Foreign money offers, counterfeit check scams                372                  4
9)         Prizes, sweepstakes, and lotteries                                      358                  4
10)       Credit cards                                                                              310                  3