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Monday January 29 9:33 AM ET ID Theft Leads List of U.S. Fraud Complaints

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Identity theft led the list of fraud complaints filed with the U.S. government last year, a federal anti-fraud Web site reported on Monday, to become the fastest-growing crime in the nation.

Reports about stolen Social Security numbers or credit-card accounts made up 23 percent of the 80,000 complaints filed last year, figures on the Consumer Sentinel Web site showed.

Other common complaints included problems with Internet service accounts or computer purchases, sweepstakes and lottery promotions, and Internet-based auctions.

Criminals are increasingly using the Social Security numbers or credit-card accounts of others to make purchases or set up accounts, a practice known as identity theft.

According to the Social Security Administration (news - web sites), allegations of identity theft jumped from 27,000 in fiscal 1998 to 62,000 in fiscal 1999, making it the fastest-growing crime in the nation.

Calls to the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) identity theft hotline, 1-877-ID-THEFT, increased from around 400 per week in March 2000 to about 1,700 per week in December.

The Consumer Sentinel Web site, at http://www.consumer.gov/sentinel, is maintained by the FTC. It allows consumers to find out about common fraudulent practices and file complaints.

In addition, the site provides in-depth access for law-enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada and Australia in the fight against fraud.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), January 29, 2001