Internet scams topped the list of consumer complaints in New York
Internet-related scams topped the list of consumer complaints to the New York Attorney General's Office in 2011.
"The crime scene of the 21st century is the Internet, and it is important for consumers to not only know their rights online, but how to seek justice," Attorney General Schneiderman said. "I encourage New Yorkers to mark National Consumer Protection Week by learning how to recognize, avoid and report consumer frauds wherever they exist."
Schneiderman's staff analyzed all complaints and organized them into categories. This is the order of the top-10 categories and the number of complaints in each:
1. Internet (privacy issues; spyware; consumer frauds) 4,006
2. Credit (debt collection; credit card billing; debt settlement) 3,838
3. Automobile (buying, leasing, repair, service contracts, rentals) 3,279
4 Consumer-Related Services (security systems; restaurant/catering services; tech repairs) 3,661
5. Landlord/Tenant (residential repairs, deposit releases, tenant-harassment) 2,711
6. Mortgage (mortgage and loan broker fraud, foreclosures) 1,597
7. Retail Sales (any sale of goods: gift cards, clothing, rent-to-own) 1,219
8. Home Repair/Construction (home improvement services not delivered or done poorly) 1,211
9. Mail Order (purchases made online or from a catalog) 1,064
10. Telecommunications (phone cards, cellular services, pay-per-call) 1,017
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